Evolution
by MitsukiShiroi
Summary: [ItaSaku][Sequel to Metamorphosis] Sakura has escaped towards Sound, towards her final goal Sasuke. Will she be stopped before she reaches him? Or will her feelings for Itachi bring her back to him?
1. Chapter 1

**Evolution – An Itachi & Sakura story.**

**By: Mitsuki Shiroi**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

_**A/N: **This is the sequel to Metamorphosis! If you haven't read it yet, I suggest you do; the story won't make much sense if you haven't read Metamorphosis haha. The overall warning; Spoilers for the entire manga, so if you haven't read it yet to at least chapter 260, I suggest you stop reading if you don't want to be spoiled._

**Chapter One – A True Forest of Death**

"Just a little bit further," Haruno Sakura panted out of pure frustration. Her soft, sea foam, green eyes narrowed as she gave the apple of her desires a death glare. Out of chakra, she had tried to hit the apple off the tree, but thus far, all her tries were useless.

She sighed slightly as she dropped the stick that she had been holding to scout her environment. The sun barely shone through the thick masses of leaves and trees, casting dark shadows over the tall grass. She couldn't hear a sound except for the wind that softly rustled through the tall grass and the beating of her heart.

This forest gave her the creeps; it felt like Orochimaru could be hiding anywhere and, ironically enough, it reminded her slightly of the Forest of Death; the forest where she had first met Orochimaru. She shivered as a cold breeze passed by. For some reason, her instincts had told her several times to turn back and find Itachi. She had shrugged them off as fear to meet Orochimaru surfaced again, and deep down inside, she was scared. They could murder her the minute she would arrive, or torture her to death. She had no reassurance whatsoever that they would keep her alive.

Her instinct however, was never proven wrong. She was either being watched, or walking right into a trap. Either way, she would be on her guard. Sakura couldn't afford any mistakes now; from this point forward, everything had to go according to plan. One failure and she would be killed; of that, she was certain.

Tentatively, she stepped forward as she grabbed a kunai from the pocket that was strapped on her back. There were no traps in the vicinity as far as she could tell. Encouraged, she took another few steps forward, checking the area again. Once she was satisfied, she started to walk calmly through the forest, ignoring the chill that crept up her body as she went in deeper and deeper. No matter what, she wouldn't back down like a scared animal and run. It had been her goal to reach Sasuke ever since she left Konoha, and she would not back down until she was reunited with him.

Inevitably, her mind started to wander off to Itachi, as she proceeded through the forest. She knew he was out there, hunting Naruto, but she had complete confidence that Kakashi and Jiraiya would keep Naruto safe. If Itachi was forced to face Jiraiya in a battle, surely he would have a hard time.

In spite of everything that had happened to her, she still didn't want to see Itachi hurt. She knew it was wrong and foolish, but the bittersweet farewell still stung. Half of her, the part that still believed in hopelessly silly and girlish notions, had hoped that he would have decided to stay with her, but she knew it was impossible. If Itachi had gone with her, and Sasuke had spotted them together, Sasuke would never forgive her. A self-depreciating smile graced her lips at the thought.

He would never forgive her if he ever found out what had transpired between Sakura and his older brother. And she would never forgive herself for losing Sasuke in such a matter.

A faint rustle in the bushes made her forget all about Itachi, Sasuke, and the tangled web she was caught up in. She whirled around, the kunai in her hand readied, as she attempted to focus on the unknown chakra.

"Come out," she demanded harshly. "I know you're there, there's no sense in trying to hide yourself."

Her eyes were narrowed as she watched the bushes rustle again, and a girl came into vision. Her coffee-brown hair almost touched the ground, and her deep-grey eyes looked menacing. It didn't take long for Sakura to recognize her.

Kin Tsuchi, the Sound-nin that had grabbed her hair in the second exam.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked incredulously. She knew Dosu had died, and that Zaku was unable to fight anymore since Shino had launched his attack on his arms. Sakura always assumed that Orochimaru had killed her; he wasn't one to tolerate fools.

"I should ask you the same thing, lollipop," Kin snapped.

Ignoring the insult, Sakura scanned Kin's body, something that she did automatically since she became a medic. It didn't take long for Sakura to see that one of her arms was broken and she had some serious wounds on her legs.

"You're hurt," she stated simply. Kin wasn't one of the people she liked, especially after their little rendezvous in the Forest of Death, but she was a medic. She couldn't just leave Kin banged up like that, as much as she would have liked to.

"What's it to you," Kin shot back. "Leave me alone. If you don't, suffer the consequences."

Sakura remained quiet as she stared at Kin; wondering what to do. Her instinct as a medic told her that Kin could die if she didn't heal her soon. Then again, Kin was an enemy, perhaps even sent to kill her. She sighed inwardly as she realized that her instinct as a shinobi was winning; Kin was an enemy, she could try to fight Sakura and seriously wound her, perhaps even kill her. But first things first: she needed to find out what Kin was doing there.

"If you tell me what you're doing here," she began. "I'll heal you."

"I could lie to you, and you would still heal me?" Kin answered sarcastically. "No thanks bubblegum. I don't need you, Orochimaru, or anybody else to _help_ me again."

Kin's attitude was starting to get on her last nerve. Sakura opened her mouth to retaliate, but she closed it, as awareness dawned on her. Kin told her that she didn't need Orochimaru to help her again. Had she escaped Orochimaru? Was she injured because of that?

"Did you run away from Orochimaru?" Sakura inquired curiously.

"None of your damn business," Kin answered angrily, momentarily fumbling in her pocket, her efforts producing a few senbons. Sakura, simultaneously, grabbed one of her kunais and a shuriken. She had entered the Country of Field dedicated to continuing her journey to find Sasuke; she wouldn't back down now. She would fight and defeat Kin to obtain her goal.

"Don't do it Kin," Sakura warned. "You're hurt and your arm is broken. If you fight me now, you'll lose."

"I'd rather lose then have your sympathy," Kin retorted, her sharp eyes never leaving Sakura's. Kin could sense that Sakura was out of chakra; that explained why it took her so long to even notice Sakura being there. But even if her opponent didn't have a large reserve of chakra at the moment, Kin could tell that this girl was going to be a pest. Mentally, she cursed herself. She had just broken away from Orochimaru's cell and now she ran into this.

She couldn't afford to lose; if she did, not only would she lose her dignity; she'd lose her freedom.

It was Kin who made the first move; throwing three senbons in Sakura's direction. Using her kunai to deflect the senbons, Sakura crouched down, collecting the small remnants of her chakra in her right hand before running towards Kin. Grinning at her, Kin only threw another senbon. Again, Sakura deflected it without much care. But when she lowered the kunai to ready herself for an attack; Kin had vanished.

Confused, Sakura stopped quickly as she scanned the vicinity. She wasn't in any of the tall trees surrounding her, nor was she hiding in any of the bushes beside her. Sakura whirled around as she checked the shrubs behind her, but it was no use. She could feel Kin as if she stood right in front of her; but Kin was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, a senbon flew towards her. She avoided it with ease, but missed a senbon that came from behind. She gritted her teeth in pain as the weapon punctured her ankle.

_Damn it, a genjutsu…I've seen this before with Shikamaru, I know what she's up to._

Quickly, she formed the tiger seal and concentrated.

"Release," she shouted and as she opened her eyes, she could see standing on a lower branch in a tree. She was holding another bunch of senbon and seemed surprised that Sakura had released the genjutsu.

"Clever kunoichi, you released the genjutsu I had cast," Kin said, malice lacing every word. She hadn't anticipated this. Her original plan was to employ a genjutsu, allowing her to hurt the girl enough so she would faint, which would conveniently give her the opening to run away. But now that she had found out that this scrap of a girl could break genjutsus…well, this could last a bit longer than expected.

"I am no longer the weak genin you fought six years ago," Sakura countered with confidence.

"So I see," Kin shot back. "But don't think that you're going to beat me this time by cutting your pretty hair and using mediocre skills like the Kawarimi no Jutsu. You'll need more then that."

"I won't," Sakura replied. Once again, she accumulated all of her remaining chakra into her right hand. Kin might be expecting run of the mill ninjutsu and genjutsu, but there was no way of her knowing that Sakura was trained by one of the legendary sannin. This would give her the advantage in battle.

Quickly, she formed the seal for a Bunshin no Jutsu. Kin watched amusedly as two more Sakura's appeared and stormed towards her. She ducked as one Sakura tried to punch her and avoided the second's attack; but a third strike came from behind, the impact of which made her fly through the air until she collided with a tree.

Sakura panted hard; it took all of her remaining chakra and strength to give Kin a punch of that magnitude, and if she was still conscious, she would have a huge problem on her hands. Fortunately, Kin didn't rise to strike back. Cautiously, Sakura stepped towards the unmoving body.

She looked unconscious; her breathing had steadied and she looked more peaceful then she had ever looked when conscious. Fighting against the tiredness that had suddenly washed over her, Sakura squatted next to Kin.

She sighed heavily. Her medic's instinct kicked in and told her to set the bone that Kin had broken, now that she was unconscious. She had been running away from Orochimaru, living in the forest for what seemed quite a while and had to fight Sakura afterwards; she deserved it. Clenching her jaw in concentration, she began to work on Kin, using the last of her chakra to make it as painless as she could.

Minutes later, she looked at her handy work with a sense of pride. Kin's arm had been set and Sakura used some of her last bandages to use as a splint for Kin's arm. Satisfied, she stood up and smiled slightly before grabbing her backpack and walked away.

She never noticed Kin opening her eyes and smiling haughtily before she ran off in the opposite direction.

-------------------

Cold, calculating Sharingan eyes followed the movement of the Nine-Tails Demon as the four of them set camp. He knew that one of the Hyuuga clan was close; which would bring him in danger of being exposed. And he acknowledged that he wouldn't be able to handle the Copy-nin and all of his companions.

He inwardly sighed; getting the Kyuubi was easier said than done. Either Jiraiya travelled with him, or he had an entire team to travel with him. Getting rid of Kakashi would be no problem for him, but handling Genma along with the rest of their little group and the others that were most assuredly on their way would be quite the obstacle.

Retreating would be the best option.

Without a sound, he jumped back on a branch and dashed through the forest; masking his chakra. It wouldn't be good if the others discovered him now; he would just have to wait for the opportune moment.

His eyes were fixed now, he could use them without worrying too much about his eyesight; but if he had to use the Tsukiyomi on seven shinobi just to capture one, his eyesight would deteriorate fast. He didn't like that idea.

He would take the opportunity to capture Naruto next time; when he would be alone with Jiraiya. Jiraiya would give him quite the fight, but he was certain that he would be able to win. Kisame could fight the Kyuubi in the meantime.

With ease and certain grace, he jumped from branch to branch; his Akatsuki robes billowing in the wind. The bell that dangled from his straw hat made an eerie, peaceful sound whenever he landed on a branch and the loose strands of hair that hung in front of his eyes moved slightly whenever he jumped back up.

A lot of things had happened in the past few weeks, both wanted and unwanted. He had never felt more confused in his whole life.

First of all, he had taken care of Sakura when she was his hostage; protecting her from the ANBU that hunted her, even kissed her several times. Secondly, he felt _emotions _when he saw Deidara kiss her. And it was the first time that he wasn't included in a mission which required Kisame. He figured that it was because of the fact that he still hadn't captured one of the bijuu, as Kisame had.

Slowly, the image of Kisame disappeared and was replaced by Sakura. The only pink-haired kunoichi he had ever seen. Faintly, he wondered if she had reached his brother already. It had been several hours since they had separated from each other.

Itachi sighed inwardly. He was acting out of character since Sakura had been captured and it was a good thing that they parted ways. He needed to regain his composure. He was a shinobi; one of the deadliest in the world. He wasn't about to let his mind wander off to less important things. _Emotions _made a shinobi weak.

He couldn't afford being weak.

----------------

"Can you see anything suspicious Neji?" Gai asked his student. He watched as Neji formed the seals and activated his Byakugan. Neji remained quiet as he scouted the vicinity for enemies.

"Kakashi and his team are setting up camp near the border," Neji replied, still focused on the area. His eyes widened for a split second as he detected another presence in the bushes. The enemy was wearing an Akatsuki robe; he recognized it from his battle with Kisame years ago. But this one wasn't Kisame; this Akatsuki member instead had a striking resemblance to Sasuke.

"One of the Akatsuki is hiding in the bushes near them," Neji reported. "It looks like he has the Sharingan and he looks exactly like Uchiha Sasuke. He's not making a move yet, just observing. The others don't know he's there."

"… Itachi," Gai whispered quietly. "Double-up speed; if Itachi is fighting them, they'll need all the help they can get. Get your gear ready and get ready for an intense battle."

"Not necessary," the Byakugan-user answered. "He's going away. He's too far for my Byakugan to spot him."

Gai remained silent as he pondered over this. Itachi was a smart man; he would undoubtedly know that Kakashi's group wasn't the only group on the road and called it quits. It was even more suspicious that his partner didn't travel along with him. Perhaps they all travelled alone now? He made a mental note that he should talk to Kakashi over this matter. Their mission would become even harder if they'd have to fight any of the Akatsuki.

"Gai," he heard Shikamaru call out. He turned around slightly, signalling to Shikamaru that he had his attention. He waited patiently until Shikamaru spoke again.

"Why is Akatsuki after us?" Shikamaru asked quietly. He knew Akatsuki had fought Naruto, Jiraiya and Sasuke years ago, and a couple of years back, they fought again. But nobody had told him why they were fighting with Naruto's group. He had a suspicion though, that it had something to do with Naruto. He just hoped he wasn't right.

"I can't tell you about that yet," Gai answered after a pause. "Although, if you want to know more about the situation, you should talk to Naruto. I'm in no position to tell you anything at the moment."

And he meant it. Every adult knew about the Kyuubi that had been sealed inside of Naruto, and every adult was bound by law to fasten their lips; to never speak of such matter ever again. Gai was aware that Naruto had somehow learned about this information years ago, and that he had told Sakura about it too. Apart from her, he strongly doubted that Naruto had told anyone else about the creature that inhabited him.

If Naruto wanted anyone else to know, it was his right to make that decision.

Shikamaru's brains worked overtime after that bit of information. Gai obviously knew, but didn't want to tell him. Either he would have to ask Naruto himself, or he could try to figure this out by himself.

He tried to puzzle all the information together: Naruto had told Gaara that there was a monster inside of him too; Akatsuki was hunting Naruto, of that he was certain; and Gai didn't want to tell him about whatever was going on and told him to ask Naruto. Either Naruto was the one being hunted, or he played a huge part in all of this.

Temari had told him that Gaara had been hunted and killed by Akatsuki as well. Although Gaara was alive at the moment, they had still extracted the demon that inhabited Gaara. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he finally found the answer to all of his questions.

_That's it!_

Akatsuki was hunting Naruto, because Naruto had a demon inside of him, like Gaara had. Both were vessels for demons; Gaara had told him so when he tried to murder Lee and Naruto had shot back that he had a monster inside of him too.

At that moment, he didn't really think much of it, as he was struggling to keep himself and Naruto alive. And he hadn't really thought about it afterwards when they left that room, even though Naruto practically confessed that day that there was something inhabiting him.

Although he was happy that he had found the answer, fear slowly crept into his mind.

There was an immense possibility that Naruto would be killed if he were captured. Gaara, ironically, was living proof of that.

Over the years, Naruto had become one of his closest friends. Naruto, Chouji, Neji, Kiba and Shikamaru had all been on the mission to save Sasuke, and since that time, they had only gotten closer. He gritted his teeth in pure frustration.

He swore that it wouldn't end up like the last time, when he'd almost lost his best friend. He wouldn't lose Naruto like he almost lost Chouji. He would never forget the pain and agony of standing there in the hospital, waiting for good or bad news. After Tsunade had told him that Chouji was going to be fine, he made a silent promise to himself.

He would protect his friends, no matter what. Even if he had to give up his own life, he would do it gladly to save one of his friends.

-------------

Sakura collapsed on the ground as soon as she left the forest. Her chakra was gone, she hadn't slept for twenty-four hours, and she hadn't eaten a thing except for one measly apple. But she was there; she had finally reached the Country of Field, and would soon find the Hidden Village of Sound.

Fighting to get up, Sakura leaned against a tree to keep her balance. With a small smile, she could see the faint lights of a small town in the distance.

She could regain her strength there before she moved on to find Sasuke. If she were to encounter anymore shinobi in her current state, she would be killed without even putting up a fight.

Using the very last of her chakra, she gathered it all in her feet and made a sprint towards the town using the last energy sources that she had.

Sakura reached the town within minutes and stopped running just outside the gates. Her knees buckled as she gritted her teeth and stumbled forward. Managing to regain her balance after a couple, desperate gasps for air, she focused on the ground and took a few, small steps.

She knew people were watching her; it wasn't too often that you would see a shinobi in this state. All the same, she didn't care and tried to walk towards the inn she had spotted. It was only a few feet away, but her knees collapsed once more, and this time, she lost her balance.

She was unconscious before she even hit the ground.

----------

When she opened her eyes again, she was lying in an unfamiliar bed. The room surrounding her was entirely white, just like the honeymoon suite she had slept in with Itachi. She turned around, mildly hoping to see Itachi next to her, but he wasn't there.

Instead of Itachi, there was an older lady sitting next to her bed. She was bandaging Sakura's wound on her ankle and smiled as she noticed Sakura staring at her.

"You're awake," she remarked.

"W-Where am I?" she asked quietly in a hoarse whisper.

"You're in the town of Eiyo, in the Country of Field," the woman replied. "You fainted right in front of my hotel, so I brought you in and tried to fix you up a little. I've also mended your clothes."

"Thank you," Sakura answered softly. "I feel better now."

"That's good to hear. You've been asleep for two days," the woman smiled. "My name is Junko. If you need anything, just ask."

"Yes, I will," Sakura replied as she tried to sit up straight. "Can I ask you something, Junko-san?"

"Yes of course," Junko answered, the smile still plastered on her face.

"Can you give me directions to the Hidden Village of Sound?" Sakura asked bluntly.

The smile that Junko had given her quickly faded after that question, and for a moment, it almost seemed like Junko was mad at her. Sakura remained quiet as she waited for an answer.

"Why do you want to go there?" Junko finally replied, suspicion in her voice.

"The man I love is there," Sakura answered her question. "I've been searching for him for over six weeks. I need to find him, and if I had to search for the village on my own… It would take even longer. That's why I need your help."

"I see," Junko replied quietly. She sighed heavily before nodding. "Leave this town on the north side. Continue until you see a large hill, surrounded by pine trees. From there, carry on to your right and you'll arrive at Sound."

Sakura nodded gratefully. Thanks to this generous woman, she had recovered fairly well from her injuries and was now well-rested. All that was left was to eat, get something to drink and she would be on her way.

"How long does it take to reach Sound?"

"One day for the normal folk, but I'm guessing it would be half a day for a shinobi," Junko answered simply. "I must warn you though; after you've reached the hill, be on your guard. There are a lot of Sound shinobi there, and they aren't too fond of other shinobi."

"I know," Sakura sighed. The prospect of fighting already tired her.

Junko smiled softly before she left the room to get some food for Sakura.

------------

After a good meal and some coffee, Sakura stood next to her bed, where her gear resided. She strapped on her shuriken holster, before putting her sandals on. Checking her gear and bandages one last time, she took a quick glance in her mirror, she smiled as she strode towards the door; her backpack in her hands.

"Today is the day," she spoke quietly to herself. "If I'm lucky, I'll get to Sound by nightfall."

She had been waiting for this moment and now that she had arrived in the Country of Field, everything felt surreal to her. She couldn't believe that she was this close to achieving her dream; to see Sasuke again.

Encouraged by this thought, she stepped out of the room and padded off the stairs towards the main hall of the Inn. She waved goodbye at Junko, thanking her for all that she had done, before stepping outside. She shivered slightly; a cold breeze passed by.

She looked up, reflexively, to inspect the weather and to her dismay, the sky was swarming with ominous, grey clouds. Feeling the first raindrops fall on her cheeks, she swore softly.

_Wonderful. What a great way to start this perfect day._

She grimaced as she accumulated her recovered chakra to her feet and dashed through the village towards the northern gate. From there, she would have to run until she saw a hill surrounded by pine trees and then she would have to veer right. She had memorized the entire description and smiled slightly as she set off towards the hill. Using her chakra, she ran towards the north while doubling her speed

The rain was still falling down mercilessly, while being accompanied by the strong wind. Nearly freezing to death forced Sakura to find shelter under one of the bulky pine trees.

She sighed contently as she sat down. The long journey had worn her out since she had been rapidly racing for well over half the day. She pulled her old Akatsuki robe from her backpack and draped it over her frozen body.

She knew she should have burned it the first chance she got; such a garment being discovered on her would bring a multitude of questions that she rather not answer. Not to mention a possible trip to the Torture and Interrogation Unit. But she always knew that it would come in handy in a situation such as this one.

Touching the soft, warm fabric with her fingertips, the memories of her time together with the Akatsuki members surfaced and she inwardly smiled when she thought about the first time she had met Deidara. At first, she thought he had been a girl, but when he opened his mouth, she was proven wrong. Very wrong.

Another memory she was fond of was the time that he had hold her in her arms while she well asleep. She'd never forgotten how the soft, warm cocoon of his arms felt. She had felt safe in his arms; safer then she had ever felt since she had become a missing nin.

Kisame was another one who had proven her wrong. She had him cut out as a ruthless idiot that just followed Itachi's orders without hesitation. Sakura was right about that last part, but Kisame certainly wasn't an idiot.

_Ah well… Perhaps he is an idiot at times… I wonder if he ever gotten the soy sauce stains out of his Akatsuki robes._

She giggled, as her mind turned to Itachi. Uchiha Itachi; he had surprised her most of all. In her mind, she had always pictured him to be quiet, brooding and whatnot. What a surprise when Itachi turned out to be one of the most polite Akatsuki members she had met. An even bigger surprise, and the understatement of the century, was the fact that he had kissed her; several times in fact.

Unconsciously, she touched her lips. She remembered their last, sincere conversation on the balcony. Itachi had told her that Sasuke would just use her as a tool to revive his clan, and although she had told Itachi that she didn't care; in reality she did. It had hurt her when he had told her that, and for a couple of minutes, she actually thought about aborting her mission and staying with Akatsuki.

She regained her senses quickly though; even if Sasuke would never love her, she would love him, and always be there to support him. He was her team-mate, classmate, fellow shinobi, and above all, the man she loved.

She had become a missing-nin for him, survived Akatsuki, several assassinations, and escaped from his deadly brother; fighting constantly to reach this moment. Even if he would never love her back, nobody could ever take this moment away from her. She was proud of herself for having this much strength to go on a seemingly hopeless mission, and still be alive.

_What the…?_

Sakura narrowed her eyes as she looked in the distance. She was fairly certain that somebody walking in the distance, but the rain was clouding everything, and all she could see was the outline of whoever was walking towards her. Although, through a barely discernable lanky body and broad shoulders, it seemed that this figure was male.

Suddenly, the shadow faded and Sakura sighed with relief. She couldn't sense a chakra level nearing her; so it must have been just her imagination.

_The rain isn't stopping anytime soon._

She groaned as she stared at the sky; arriving at Sound, completely wet and frozen wasn't her ideal entry, but it seemed that she didn't have another choice. She folded the Akatsuki robes and placed it back into her backpack. Standing up, she checked her clothing and gear, making sure nothing fell out of her pockets, when she abruptly felt the overwhelming sense of _chakra_.

She whirled around to counter the punch that was sent in her direction. Her attacker was hiding in the darkness of the pine tree, so distinguishing who it was, was next to impossible. Gritting her teeth, she gathered all of her chakra into her right leg and tried to kick her attacker.

She missed, and without missing a beat, her attacker seized the opportunity to grab her ankle. White-hot pain seared through her frozen ankle as she realized her opponent was using a medical jutsu to cut the tendons in her muscles.

_Kabuto!_

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_**A/N: **Thank you for reading! I would also like to thank by new beta Stem! Thanks for everything!_

_For the ones who want to contact me in another way then reviewing, I've got a livejournal, which is updated pretty frequently. And whenever there's something to tell about the new chapters, stories etcetera, you can find it all here; www(dot)livejournal(dot)com(slash)users(slash)kineshachan._

_See you next time!_

_-- MitsukiShiroi_


	2. Chapter 2

**Evolution – An Itachi & Sakura story.**

**By: Mitsuki Shiroi**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

_**A/N: **Ehm… Yah, sorry for the delay, school has been hell. Seriously._

**Chapter Two – I Always Believed In You**

Gracelessly, Sakura stumbled back as Kabuto unexpectedly relinquished his hold on her ankle. Lightning struck not far from them, illuminating Kabuto's face for a second. He hadn't changed one bit; he still wore his glasses and his trademark purple outfit.

Face set in a slight scowl, he lowered his hand. "It's been a long time, Sakura," Kabuto said after a significant pause. "What brings you here?" He asked almost conversationally.

"None of your business," she bit back in frustration as she accumulated some of her chakra to heal her ankle. Knowing who she was dealing with, she stayed on her guard; pulling out a kunai from her holster when she heard Kabuto moving closer to her.

"You have become a medic-nin," Kabuto stated the obvious. He analyzed her strength quickly, presuming that she was probably trained by Tsunade herself. Judging by her jutsu he was right.

Lest she'd be distracted in healing her ankle, she didn't answer. Fortunately Sakura had a great teacher; Tsunade had wisely warned her about these kinds of medical jutsus, and within seconds, she had healed the damaged muscles in her ankle.

"What are you doing here Sakura?" Kabuto asked once more, the malice gone from his voice. He sounded just like he did so many years ago, during the Chuunin exam.

"I've come here to offer a deal to Orochimaru," she answered, clenching her jaw. "That's all you need to know. Will you take me to him?"

Fleeting disbelief crossed over Kabuto face as he took a step closer. Preparing herself for any action on Kabuto's part, she held her kunai in front of her as she picked herself off the ground.

_This guy is prolific in medical jutsus. Just now, he easily cut the tendons in my muscles. I have no doubt that he can kill me just as easily with those moves. But if he wants to fight me, this will be a medic-nin versus medic-nin._

"Orochimaru-sama already knew you were coming," Kabuto said finally. "Asking Junko-san for directions… You are still the naïve kunoichi I met six years ago."

_Junko…? No… She was a Sound-nin as well?_

Sakura's eyes widened slightly in realization: she had been nursed back to health by one of the Sound-nins. Quickly, she checked her own chakra level for any sign of alteration or poison; her quick scan proved that her chakra had not been tampered with. She never would have suspected Junko to be a nin, especially one working for Sound.

_I guess I really am naïve._

"Junko is a Sound-nin as well?" she asked quietly, not believing how trusting she could be at times.

"Yes," Kabuto answered, smiling. "Though she is under the influence of a jutsu Orochimaru-sama created, but yes, she is a Sound-nin."

Mentally cursing herself, Sakura crouched down as she readied herself for battle. Kabuto hadn't said anything about Orochimaru wanting her in Sound; for all she knew, Kabuto was there to kill her. She couldn't afford to be defeated now; there was too much at stake.

"I have no intention in fighting you, Sakura," Kabuto scoffed. "Orochimaru-sama sent me to find you and bring you to him."

Shocked, Sakura lowered her kunai slightly as she scanned Kabuto's face. His poker face was as impenetrable as Itachi's; it was impossible to decipher his emotions and determine if he was lying or not. The irony was not lost on her. The impassive shinobi that stood before her was the one who had earned their trust during the Chuunin exam through presenting himself as the nice, older brother type who would help them through the exam.

She couldn't help but suppress a snort.

_Nice older brother type. Yeah, right._

"What are you waiting for then?" Sakura said with confidence. "Take me to Sound."

"As you wish," Kabuto replied sarcastically as he adjusted his glasses. He turned around without another word and signalled for her to follow him. With a moment's hesitation, she pocketed her kunai before following Kabuto.

_Well…At least she gave me the right directions_

Sakura bit her lip to hold in a bitter laugh. She should have known; she was in Field. In this country she should have trusted no one and searched for Sound by herself. Faintly, she wondered what Junko's reward would be for turning Sakura in.

"Kabuto… Why are you allies with Orochimaru?" Sakura inquired, breaking the tense silence that had stretched out between the two of them. Kabuto visibly tensed, not expecting her to talk to him. He glanced backwards at Sakura's face as he started to gain pace through the field, ignoring the rain that was pounding mercilessly on both of them.

"He had brilliant ideas," Kabuto answered simply. "I couldn't resist joining him to know more about his projects."

"Brilliant ideas?" Sakura snorted. "He uses younger, more powerful children as his vessels. You could be next, Kabuto. Ever thought about that?"

"I actually offered my body to him, so yes, I have thought about it," Kabuto replied, slightly annoyed as he adjusted his glasses that sat on the bridge of his nose. Due to the rain, his silver hair hung in front of his eyes, obstructing her view of his face, but she was fairly certain that he wasn't lying. He _had _offered his body to Orochimaru.

She sighed inwardly; Orochimaru and his followers were an enigma that she would never be able to understand. While her first, and lasting, impression of him during the Chuunin exams was that of fear and revulsion, it seemed that others went to him to find power. Even if they didn't need really need Orochimaru's help to gain it.

_Sasuke-kun is the perfect example of that…_

----------------

"Talk about a boring landscape… yeah," Deidara grinned as the three Akatsuki members made their way to a distant town in the Country of Field. His grin disappeared as soon as he glanced at the sky. "And the weather is perfect as well."

"Shut up," Kisame growled as he wrung out his robes. Rain was something Kisame thoroughly disliked; even though he was born in Mist. "How far are we from that Snake?"

"Judging his chakra level," Sasori softly spoke up. "I think we have half a day to go before we reach Orochimaru."

"My ideal way of travelling: wet and frozen to the bone… yeah," Deidara chuckled softly as he brushed some of his stray blond strands of hair from his eyes. "Where did Zetsu go?"

"He's underground. He claimed he can move faster that way," Sasori answered calmly. "I reckon he's just hiding from the rain."

"Why would he do that? Is he afraid that his venus flytrap is going to grow even larger… yeah?" Deidara snickered.

Kisame chuckled slightly while Sasori shook his head in amusement. He tried to concentrate on Orochimaru and his environment again, before noticing that two people were heading in his direction. Medics, judging by their flow of chakra.

"Deidara," he called out. Although he couldn't see more then Deidara's straw hat and his robes, he knew he had his partner's attention. "That kunoichi medic you were talking about… She's nearing Orochimaru's headquarters rapidly, and there's another medic-nin with her. This one is male."

Deidara muttered a string of curses as he turned around completely, facing both Kisame and Sasori. "Sakura is with another medic-nin… yeah? Is he a Sound-nin?"

Although Deidara's expressions were pokerfaced to a point where Itachi could be proud, Sasori could sense the underlying worry in Deidara's voice. "I can't tell whether it's a shinobi from Sound or any other village, but you've told me the kunoichi was strong. She'll be alright."

"Hold it," Kisame suddenly spoke up. "That kunoichi ran away from Itachi? And actually made it to Sound without him finding her? He really is slacking off."

"She tried to sedate him, I could sense it, but his own medic skills are top-class," Sasori replied quietly. "He just repelled the anaesthetic from his body."

"And she's still alive?" Kisame asked incredulously.

"Can we talk about this when we've eliminated Orochimaru… yeah?" Deidara's voice sounded calm, but the irritated look that came with it wasn't lost on the both of them. They both nodded before following Deidara.

Although Deidara could be overpowered by both Kisame and Sasori, fighting him would not be the best of ideas; especially not when Deidara was pissed off. Sasori inwardly grinned.

_Orochimaru… You're in for a surprise if you dare to hurt that kunoichi._

-------------

Throughout the entire journey towards Orochimaru's headquarters, Kabuto had barely spoken to her, but Sakura couldn't care less. The remainder of her journey and her offer to Orochimaru were crucial; everything would have to go perfectly, or she would be murdered without a second thought. Soon, she would enter the lion's cave, and there was a high probability of not returning.

Before she could lose herself in that thought, Kabuto abruptly stopped running and jumped down from a branch. Sakura followed quickly, landing on the ground, as a building came into view. It was a veiled fortress under the high grass with barely visible stairs, cracked and overgrown with moss; the foreboding Sound logo situated on top.

"We're here," Kabuto said quietly. Watching in mild irritation how he pushed his glasses back on top of the bridge of his nose, she took a deep breath in, before walking towards Kabuto and the entrance of Sound. He curtly nodded before walking down the stairs, Sakura in tow.

Sakura flinched slightly at the sound of her soaked sandals on the rigid stones of the steps, noticing how much noise it made in the hushed atmosphere. A huge door was blocking their way. It was similar to Konoha's gate in a way, yet this one had the insignia of Sound sharply engraved in the wood. She watched how he effortlessly pushed open one of the doors, gesturing that she could go in. She complied easily and slipped through the opening of the gate into a stone hallway.

Kabuto joined her as soon as he closed the gates. He nodded before leading her into the dank hallway, only lit by a few candles. She knew that she smelled something peculiar in front of the gate, and it seemed that venturing farther into the building only intensified the familiar scent of rotting flesh.

She swallowed hard, fighting her sudden nausea, before reflexively studying her environment. Cells surrounded her, each of them filled with people that looked more like corpses, with their sunken cheekbones and skeletal figures. Belatedly, she realized with horror, that a good portion of these prisoners were children of all ages; their small frail bodies trembling with some unspeakable emotion. And all she could perceive was their overwhelming torment and grief. She found herself drowning in their devastating agony; her mind and body no longer functioning. And for a moment, there was no Itachi, nor was there a Sasuke or Orochimaru. There was only the overwhelming desire to release these people from their cells and give them their freedom back.

"Experiments for Orochimaru's research," Kabuto spoke up softly. Sakura raised her eyes to meet his deep-grey ones. She swore she saw sadness flicker through his eyes, before it was gone, replaced by the blank face he had adopted. "Let's go," Kabuto added after a significant pause.

Sakura could only nod and follow Kabuto as he walked through the hallway. In front of the last cell however, Sakura halted as she spotted the arm of a young child poking through the bars in an attempt to grab Sakura's leg. She gasped softly as she saw the face that belonged to the girl.

A long lesion stretched out from over her right eye to her chin, oozing with dried blood and pus; it was infected, Sakura hazily noted. Shying away from the wound, Sakura notice that her short black hair was tousled and filthy, matching the tattered garment that barely covered her gaunt shape. But it was the girl's eyes that horrified Sakura the most. There was only one way to describe them.

_I want to confirm the reason why I'm alive, _Sakura thought, recalling the words that Gaara had said. _Her eyes look just like Gaara's…_

Aghast, Sakura scrambled backwards, accidentally bumping into the cell behind her. Immediately, hands gripped her form through the bars, wrenching her against the grimy cell. Sakura clenched her jaw as she tried pull herself out of their grasps, but found herself unable to.

A mere second later, Kabuto stood in front of her; his face was set in a small scowl as he activated a medic jutsu. "Hurt her and I'll make sure you never get out of these cells," Kabuto threatened menacingly.

As if on cue, the hands instantly released Sakura, prompting her to stumble forward; the sound of whispering noticeable in her ears. She looked up to see Kabuto looking over her whole body, checking if she had any injuries, before he gave a subtle nod. Without pausing he walked around her and disappeared into the darkness of a second hallway.

This time, Sakura didn't hesitate and fell into step beside Kabuto. There were no more words as they passed more cells; no more glances. Sakura kept her eyes straight forward, trying to ignore the helpless people behind bars. Detachedly, she realized that the stench of decomposing flesh wasn't as apparent as it was in the other hallway, but it was still there.

"What kind of technique is Orochimaru developing?" Sakura asked quietly. "Why does he need human beings to try it on? Why does he let them die?"

"Orochimaru-sama has no need for those who are too weak to withstand the power of his techniques," Kabuto answered simply. "He cleans the cells up every month, if that's what you were wondering."

Sakura nodded as she vaguely realized that Kabuto had only answered one of her questions. She remained silent as the both of them entered another chamber, this one the size of an arena. They were standing on a platform, similar to the one that she stood on during the preliminaries of her first Chuunin exam. In contrast to that area, there were a handful of doors lined up against the sides of platform, each with a name.

Although the darkness shrouded most of the kanji, she squinted her eyes focusing on the nearest door.

_Tayuya…_

The next ones that she was able to decipher were: "Sakon," "Jiroubo," and "Kidoumaru." She turned around to try and read the kanji on the other ends.

_Kimimaro… Kabuto… and…_

Although the kanji was blood-red, almost the color of the Sharingan, and undistinguishable against the blackness of the room, she recognized it instantly.

_Sasuke_

Her eyes widened and her breath came out in harsh pants as she realized that these were dormitories, and that Sasuke might be there, only a few feet away from her.

In her mind's eye, she could already see Sasuke lying on a bed, one single candle illuminating his face and the metal of his forehead protector that held Sound's emblem; reading a scroll while thinking of Itachi and his revenge. His hair would be a little longer, and his face would have matured, but his eyes would still be the same color: midnight blue.

Unconsciously, she stepped closer towards his door, entranced by the idea of seeing him again. However, Kabuto seizing her wrist banished such hopes and stopped her progress. Angered by such an obstacle, she furiously glared at her assailant.

"This isn't vacation Sakura; you've entered Sound as a shinobi from Leaf. That means that you're our enemy," Kabuto hissed. "Don't even try to make a move towards that door. It might be the last thing you do."

Sakura nodded hesitantly as she tore her gaze away from the door that possessed Sasuke's name. She would have to make the deal with Orochimaru first before seeing him. It was hard to turn back when could only be just a few meters away from her, but she knew would see him soon… Very soon.

With pain in her heart, she walked away from his door as she followed Kabuto down the stairs. They crossed the arena before halting in front of a red, wooden door. Kabuto knocked softly.

"Come in Kabuto," a voice called out. Sakura instantly recognized it as Orochimaru's. She shivered slightly as Kabuto opened the door, before walking in. He bowed towards a shadow in the corner of the room, before signalling Sakura to come in as well.

Tentatively, Sakura stepped inside the room, ignoring the cold chill that travelled up her spine. In attempt to calm her nerves, she observed the room around her. Several scrolls hung on the walls - medic jutsus, she realized - books were scattered on the floor, and the room was illuminated with the light of the candles that burned on top of an old, shabby desk.

A small cough was heard from Kabuto's direction and Sakura whirled around hurriedly, embarrassed that she had been distracted by the contents of the room. There he was, Orochimaru, standing beside Kabuto. He hadn't changed one bit; the sadistic smile that she had seen in the Forest of Death was still etched on his lips and his golden, snake-like eyes were narrowed slightly in suspicion.

He still freaked her out.

"Well, well," Orochimaru grinned. "It's been a long time since I saw you… Sakura."

A jolt of recognition shot through her as she realized he was talking differently than last time; his speaking pattern had changed and for some reason, he sounded smoother this time. That and he somehow knew her name.

"It certainly has, Orochimaru," Sakura answered, mentally applauding herself for keeping a steady and calm voice. "I heard you were expecting me?"

Orochimaru's grin seemed to broaden as he took a few steps towards her. "Yes, I felt you nearing our base, and our spy at the inn notified us of the arrival of a pink-haired kunoichi from Konoha. I automatically assumed it was you, as I've never seen another pink-haired person walking through the streets of Konoha."

_I don't know if I should be disgusted or honored that he recognizes me… I'll go for disgusted._

"I am sure you know that I came out here to see you out," Sakura continued. "I want to propose a deal with you Orochimaru."

"A deal?" Orochimaru chuckled. "And what kind of _deal_ do you propose?"

Taking in a deep breath, she calmed herself down. Sakura had envisioned this moment for a long time, and had calculated exactly what she was going to say to Orochimaru.

"I propose to heal your arms, I have been a student of one of the legendary sannin for over six years, and I think that I might be able to heal your arms. In exchange, I want to become a shinobi of Sound."

She stopped her flow of words as soon as Orochimaru started to laugh. It wasn't a pleasant laugh, it sounded rather creaky, as if he hadn't laughed in a long time. He lifted his hand to cover his mouth as he tried to calm himself down. That's when she saw them.

His arms were healed, and the color of his skin was back to his normal, pale color.

"I sincerely apologize," Orochimaru replied after his laughing fit had stopped. "But I honestly don't have any use for you. Kabuto is our medic and my arms are healed, so you are of no use to me."

Frantically, Sakura started to seek for a solution. Her entire plan had been foiled because of this. Orochimaru would kill her before she would even see Sasuke. There had to be something else that she could use, something that Orochimaru didn't have. But no matter how hard she thought this over, she knew it was hopeless. It was the end of the road.

_Unless…_

"Can I at least see Sasuke-kun?" Sakura's voice wavered slightly as she spoke the words. She didn't know if Orochimaru would allow her to see Sasuke one last time. There was a chance that Sasuke hadn't forgotten about her and would stop Orochimaru from killing her.

"Please…" she begged after a moment of silence. "I've left Konoha for him; can I please see him one last time?"

She did not know if Orochimaru possessed any compassion, but he curtly nodded, his grin still plastered on his face. Kabuto apparently took this as a signal as he left the chamber, undeniably to get Sasuke.

Her heart was pounding wildly. Would he still recognize her? Would he save her? Or would he leave her for the snake that stood in front of her?

She swallowed hard as she tried to think clearly; Orochimaru was standing right in front of her, this was her moment to ask him whatever she wanted, consequences be damned; she was already in grim situation. Glancing at the wall, her eyes focused on the scrolls that she had noticed earlier, the medic jutsus.

"_They are experiments for Orochimaru's research."_

"What kind of technique are you developing?" Sakura whispered, hoping that such a question wouldn't awaken his temper.

"A technique that will enable me to live forever," Orochimaru answered, his words laced with sickening pride. "You see, with this technique, I'm able to transfer my mind to another body. The person who inhabited the body will die, but I'll be able to control the body leftover."

_He really is sick, _Sakura thought as her eyes widened slightly. Suddenly, the medical jutsus on the scrolls made sense, just like Kabuto being a medic. Orochimaru didn't give a damn about his subordinates, Kabuto wasn't there for them. He was there to heal the prisoners once Orochimaru was done experimenting with them.

"I finished perfecting the technique quite a while ago actually," Orochimaru continued without missing a beat, his eyes ever watchful. "Thus far, I've inhabited three bodies."

"You… monster," she muttered as tears stung in the corners of her eyes. "You kill people all in the name of your selfish need to live forever… The Third was right; you are a monster."

"Some call me a monster, some call me brilliant," Orochimaru flashed his sadistic smile once again. "It depends on what your view on life is."

Sakura gritted her teeth in pure frustration; she knew she was bordering on the edge of no return, and Orochimaru was as unpredictable as the weather. He could get enough of this little conversation and end it without anyone getting seriously hurt; or he could attack her, and most certainly kill her.

She just hoped it would be option one.

"Now, you wished to see your Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru asked with genuine interest.

"Y-yes," she stammered, not understanding the direction this conversation was going. Wasn't Kabuto getting Sasuke?

"You may, but I'm afraid he won't talk back," he said simply.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, clenching her fists. "Is he injured? What have you done with him?"

She wanted to wipe that self-satisfying grin from his face; it irritated her that someone like him could be so pleased with himself that he couldn't stop smiling. She watched him like a hawk as his fingers caressed his cheek, before burying his fingers deep within the skin.

_He's wearing a mask?_

Sakura didn't blink once as he pulled the mask off; his long hair obscured the rest of his face but she tried to look for the features behind the mask anyway. When he finally looked at her again, his face free from all guises, she gasped.

_Oh god no… Please no…_

Orochimaru brushed away the strands of hair that were in the way, before giving her that smirk again. Her breathing had progressed to irregular gasps as her heart abruptly stopped.

Sasuke was standing in front of her; his blood-red Sharingan blazing and the trademark Uchiha grin that she had seen so many times plastered on his lips. His face had matured significantly, but the aspect that held her attention were the purple lines that graced the sides of his nose.

Orochimaru's trademark.

Deep down, she wanted to believe that this was the real Sasuke; that he had just used a jutsu to transform himself; but she knew better. Orochimaru's explanation of his jutsu only served to verify this tragedy.

_This isn't Sasuke… It's not him…_

His suspicions were confirmed as 'Sasuke' parted his lips to speak. "Sorry, _Sakura_, but Sasuke hasn't been here for a long, long time."

She watched in horror as Orochimaru's tongue slipped out of Sasuke's perfect lips, intensifying his previous taunt. He took a step towards her, but Sakura found herself fixed to the ground. Memories of her time together with Sasuke flooded her mind and her shinobi instinct left her.

_Rule number twenty-five; a shinobi must not cry._

But she did. The tears that formed in her eyes shrouded her vision as she felt light-headed. Distantly, she heard voices yelling in the chamber she had come from and she could see Sasuke's no… Orochimaru's grin disappear, before he walked out of the room, but nothing mattered anymore.

_Sasuke is gone… He's really gone…_

Her knees that had been threatening to give out since she stepped into Sound, finally buckled under her weight, forcing her body to rock forward onto her knees. Desperate, shallow breaths escaped from her bloody lips; bitten violently in anguish. With the grace of a dying flower, fluttering to the ground, Sakura collapsed on her face, meeting the unforgiving ground and black comfort.

_Nothing matters anymore_

_----------_

_**A/N: **I officially declare this the hardest chapter I've ever written. I know a lot of you aren't Sasuke fans like I am, and some might perhaps be rejoicing; but killing Sasuke was a really hard thing to do for me._

_Err, is slightly irritating me; it's sticking a lot of words together. Stupid editor._

_Thank you Stem for beta-reading this chapter!_

_See you next time!_

_-- MitsukiShiroi_

_(P.S; On a side note, how many of you actually read these author notes?)_


	3. Chapter 3

**Evolution – An Itachi & Sakura story.**

**By: Mitsuki Shiroi**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

_**A/N: **Ehm… Sorry for the delay… Again._

**Chapter Three – Arrival of the Red Cloud**

"Long time no see Orochimaru," Sasori smiled as his ex-partner walked towards them. Deidara and Kisame stood up as soon as they heard Orochimaru arrive. Kisame grinned as he licked Kabuto's blood of his hands.

"Gross Salmon-chan… yeah," Deidara chuckled evilly. Kisame versus Kabuto had been an interesting fight, until Kisame sapped away all of Kabuto's chakra and let the Samehada devour him bit by bit; Kabuto didn't stand a chance after that.

"Can't help it, it's my special shark quirk," Kisame's grin broadened.

Orochimaru smiled sadistically before stepped out of the shadows. "Four Akatsuki members, all for me?" He pocketed his hands as he continued his stride towards the cloak-wearing Shinobi.

"Yeah," Deidara grinned as Orochimaru came into view. "We thought you would like a small reunion… Before you die that is… yeah."

"What makes you think I'm going to die?" Orochimaru's smile was replaced by an amused look. "You see, I am stronger than the last time you saw me… Oh, how long has it been? About thirteen years?"

"Funny you should say that," Sasori's smile was still apparent. "We have been getting stronger too."

"Where's Itachi?" Orochimaru inquired curiously as he ignored Sasori's statement. "I thought that out of all people Leader would send here, he would be one of them. After all, he _is_ the only one who could rival my strength."

"And why is that Orochimaru?" Kisame growled viciously as he grabbed his Samehada.

"This time, I have a secret weapon," Orochimaru said simply as he tore off his mask. "The Sharingan."

"…Oh no, I'm _so_ scared," Kisame replied sarcastically. "I've been in a team with Itachi-san for years now; do you think that I'm afraid of the Sharingan? Or your mind techniques that enable you to take over another body?"

"…Damn it," Deidara cursed as he inspected Orochimaru's new face. "This is Itachi's little bro… yeah."

_Sakura… I wonder if she's here…?_

"Yes, I thought so," Sasori nodded. "You couldn't get Itachi, so you caught his little brother. I imagine you've been using the Sharingan frequently since you've taken over that boy's body?"

"I have," Orochimaru cackled softly. "But, let's get to the point. You are here to assassinate me?"

"We are," Sasori answered as he flashed a smile. Deidara stared at his partner in mild amusement. It seemed that Sasori actually liked this reunion and he honestly enjoyed talking to Orochimaru again. But even so, he could easily spot the gleam in Sasori's eyes. He always had that look whenever he was about to murder; a look of pure satisfaction.

When he had first teamed up with Sasori, he had thought that aspect of his partner was a bit creepy and scary. At that time, he was young, only fourteen years old, and he was a scared little kid who just wanted revenge for Iname's death.

Deidara smirked. It was hard to believe that he had changed this much in the years that he had been a member of Akatsuki. And of course his perspective of things had also not withstood the passage of time; it too had changed dramatically

After being in a team with Sasori for a week, he was certain that Sasori was a monster specifically created in order to scare the wits out of Deidara. But gradually, he started to become more and more like a big brother to Deidara, and he enjoyed Sasori's company and their little banters.

He stared at the two in front of them. It almost seemed like they didn't realize that one of the most heated battle in history would commence in just a few seconds. A legendary sannin versus Akasuna no Sasori. This would be interesting to say the least. Then, Sasori turned around to face Zetsu and Deidara's train of thoughts stopped.

"Zetsu," Sasori's tone suddenly became serious. "Get Itachi."

Zetsu, who had remained silent during the entire conversation, glanced at Sasori. It seemed he was contemplating things over, before nodding his head as he disappeared into the ground. Finally, banter between old teammates had ceased, and preparation for battle had begun. Sealing this rapid change in atmosphere, Orochimaru activated his Sharingan.

Sasori's response was immediate as he pulled out three scrolls from his robes, placing them on the ground as he crouched down. Deidara stepped forward, quickly removing his straw hat from his head as he gave Orochimaru one of his most menacing glare. Kisame followed his example and readied his Samehada as he hunched down slightly.

"Don't look at his eyes, the doujutsu and genjutsu from the Sharingan are unbreakable," Kisame warned quietly. His two team members nodded in acknowledgement.

"Let's start this show then," Sasori said quietly as he formed some seals to activate his puppets. "You know how I hate to wait."

"I do," Orochimaru smirked before storming towards them; Sharingan eyes blazing with red ferocity.

-----------------------------

There were a few things that could calm Itachi down after a long, tiring day. But he would never completely relax; he was an Uchiha. Uchihas don't relax. They stay on their guards, even when sleeping.

However, there were a few things that could calm him down.

One of them was the sound of water trickling in the bamboo fountain that stood in the backyard of the main house of the Uchiha compound. Although those who visited the main house thought it was irritating, especially because the fountain was located on the opposite side of Itachi's room, he had always found the undulating sound somewhat soothing.

He craved to be alone as well. Solitude was something he needed, like the homeless needed a roof, or junkies who needed a fix. He was addicted on it and couldn't ever get enough. There were no interruptions as he trained; no obnoxious voices that disrupted him as he contemplated; no little brother who wanted to train with him; not even a father who tried to order him around.

Since he had joined Akatsuki, he had rarely been alone and he had never heard that fountain again. But there was one other thing that could calm him down; rain.

When Sasuke was born, the entire house was roused with sounds; Sasuke crying; mother trying to calm Sasuke down; father as he sighed heavily before stalking out of the room with firm paces.

Fortunately for Itachi, Sasuke was born in the rain season. During those excruciating, long days where Itachi couldn't even focus on learning new skills, he often just went outside to the forest that surrounded the Uchiha complex. There, in the middle of the clearing that was his personal training ground, he would quietly stand, allowing the rain to wash over him.

And he would listen.

Itachi would listen to the rain striking the delicate grass; listen to the howling wind that ripped through the threes. He would do so for a few hours, just standing completely still, before returning to the main house, completely drenched. His mother would come towards him, running with a towel in her hands, and the loud noises would start again, but he couldn't care less.

As long as he had his precious few hours of solitude and rain, he could make it through any day.

He sighed heavily as his blood-red Sharingan scanned the vicinity. Itachi had arrived in the Country of Waterfall several hours before and had found a small inn near one of the smallest waterfalls in the land. It was quiet; there were no other customers besides him.

His room was cold and small. The walls were painted a light shade of grey and there was nothing else in the room except the tatami mats and a small, simple futon. A shoji screen in his room led to the gardens and the waterfall, slightly reminding him of his house. That was one of the aspects of his house that he appreciated, the shoji screens and the gardens.

In other words; Itachi found it perfect.

Until he spotted something unwelcome. Or rather; someone unwelcome.

"What are you doing here?" Itachi asked as he narrowed his eyes, angered that his sense of peace and solitude had been disrupted.

"Sasori asked me to get you, Itachi," Zetsu's dark voice rasped. "They are fighting Orochimaru at the moment."

"They need my help?" Itachi inquired curiously. Sasori, Deidara and Kisame were more then enough for Orochimaru; surely they wouldn't need him as well.

"He took your brother's body as his new vessel," Zetsu's raspy voice made place for the softer version. "He possesses your brother at the moment and is using his Sharingan."

Itachi didn't as much blink as he heard the news about his brother. So he had died all because he was too stubborn to back down and too stubborn to listen to him. He resisted the urge to sigh as he nodded curtly.

"I'll be there shortly," he informed Zetsu as he reached out for the straw hat that lied on the floor. Zetsu nodded and turned around slightly.

"I'm no longer needed there. I'll report to Leader," he reported before disappearing in the ground. Sharingan followed the movement of chakra beneath the floor, until Zetsu sped up and disappeared within seconds.

He sighed as he placed his hat on his head. Leaving a generous amount of money, he stalked out of the room without even making a sound. He halted as soon as he passed the small garden that belonged to the inn.

There it was; the sound he hadn't heard since he left Konoha. The sound of a bamboo fountain. Calmly, he walked towards the origin of the sound, admiring the small fountain as he stood in front of it.

"_Itachi," Mikoto smiled as she crouched down next to her six year old son. "There's an adage in the Uchiha clan that whenever you hear the sound of a bamboo fountain similar to this one, something good will happen to you."_

_She watched in silence as her son said nothing, but glance over the small fountain in disbelief._

"_Your father wants to talk to you," she finally says, before ruffling his hair._

_Slightly irritated as her voice cut through his thoughts, Itachi shot her a look of impatience, before his features softened slightly and he nodded as he bowed. _

"_Okay mother," he answered dutifully, before getting up to find his father._

Itachi's eyes slightly narrowed as he remembered the scene that had played out fourteen years ago. His mother had told him that fountains like these bring good luck.

_If they really bring good luck, let the Kyuubi be alone for a while, _he thought. A small smirk graced his lips as he glanced over the small fountain for a moment. _That would make things a lot easier._

Then, he vanished into thin air.

---------------------

"Kisame, get your ass up," Deidara growled as he spat on the floor to remove the blood that had pooled inside his mouth. "You have more chakra then the entire Akatsuki organization combined... yeah."

Kisame shot him one of his famous death glares before standing up. Even if he tried to straighten himself, Deidara could easily see that he was slightly hunched over in pain; Orochimaru had gotten to him as well.

_Damn it… yeah_

"Deidara, pay attention," Sasori warned him as Orochimaru dashed towards the youngest member of the assassination squad.

"Why does everybody pick on the young one… yeah?" Deidara sighed before forming a few seals. "Doton: Doroku Gaeshi."

As soon as he finished his attack, a large shield shot up from the ground, formed with dirt and rocks, effectively blocking Orochimaru's attack. Deidara smirked slightly before forming more seals.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," he whispered quietly. Immediately, another Deidara appeared next to him. He nodded as he formed another flurry of seals. "Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu."

He waved goodbye at his clone before disappearing into the ground. Smirking slightly, he focused on Orochimaru's chakra before dashing through the sand and mud.

_I love Earth jutsus… yeah. You never get filthy._

He grinned as he located Orochimaru's chakra right above him. He sighed before thinking of the move he should use for Orochimaru. He could copy every ninjutsu with that Sharingan and see through every genjutsu. Deidara couldn't use his explosives because that would endanger both Sasori and Kisame; not to mention Sakura, who might still be in the building.

_Sakura… That's it… yeah!_

"Now, what did she say again," he mused quietly as he thought over Sakura's words.

_Okay, first, accumulate chakra in the hand or foot you want to use, and then release that chakra as you punch or kick. It's as simple as that._

"Piece of cake," Deidara smirked before gathering his chakra into his right hand. His smirk broadened as he finished his move and used his jutsu to resurface from the ground. The goofy grin of his face quickly disappeared as Orochimaru punched him hard in the guts.

With his other hand, Orochimaru grabbed Deidara's neck as he started to choke him. "Silly boy, this Sharingan sees everything. I easily saw you under the ground. There's no point in trying to conceal yourself."

His grip on Deidara's neck tightened and Deidara desperately gasped for breath as he felt the air disappearing from his lungs. Within seconds, a puppet appeared behind Orochimaru and dashed towards him. Orochimaru whirled around quickly, a menacing look in his eyes as he used the helpless Deidara as a shield.

"Damn," Sasori swore softly. By the looks of it, Deidara was almost out of breath and on the verge of losing consciousness. If Deidara fell, things wouldn't look good.

_And where on earth is Itachi?_

Summoning another one of his puppets, he quickly bound it to his fingertips using his chakra. "Kisame," he called out to the half-shark that stood behind him. He heard a grunt in response and said nothing as Kisame sprinted towards Orochimaru; the Samehada in hand.

Orochimaru sighed as he turned around, the same sadistic grin on his face. As Sasori studied Deidara's face, he could see that he had lost consciousness. Orochimaru threw Deidara against the nearest wall as if he were just a lifeless doll. Sasori sighed, before sending one of his puppets to protect Deidara.

Akatsuki were supposed to take care after themselves; everyone for themselves was the unofficial motto. Whenever a member died, he died. There was nothing that could be done about it. But Deidara was his teammate; his partner. And sometimes, he even felt like a younger brother. He wouldn't let Deidara die this way.

He turned his attention back to the fight before him just in time to see Kisame lunging at Orochimaru. Orochimaru however stood completely still, his eyes closed to Kisame. Sasori's eyed widened slightly.

_Wait… I know this…Oh damn._

"Kisame," he yelled, losing his composure completely. "Watch it; he's going to use Mangekyou!"

It happened all at once. One moment Kisame leapt in the air, lunging towards Orochimaru, and then in the next, he was down on the ground, muttering and swearing as he clutched his head; Samehada forgotten. Sasori shook his head. He knew this scenario all too well. Kisame would be as quiet as a mouse and it would seem like nothing had happened to him. But to those who understood the Mangekyou, knew Kisame's mind was broken.

Itachi had explained the doujutsu to them once and he would never forget those chilling words. Being a shinobi means to fight with certain finesse and perhaps some could even call this skill 'art'. But Itachi's moves could hardly be compared to art. Art was something that would survive throughout the years; something of eternal beauty.

The Mangekyou Sharingan was a butcher to everything that stood for art. He hated it.

Not to mention that because of the Mangekyou, Kisame was left motionless on the ground. He gritted his teeth as he glanced at Deidara. He hadn't woken up either. For a second, he contemplated hitting him with one of his puppets to wake him up, but quickly discarded the thought as Orochimaru closed in on him.

"That wasn't much of a fight," Orochimaru's malicious smile was in place as he traced his lips with his abnormally long tongue. "I hope you'll resist more, Sasori."

"I will," Sasori smiled.

-------------------------

In an abandoned, shadowy room, a pink-haired kunoichi lied boneless on the floor. She had long since woken up, but it felt like the weight of the words that Orochimaru had uttered to her was pushing her down to the comforting ground. Her body refused to move and that was just peachy with her. She didn't want to move.

She didn't want to live.

So she remained in the pathetic fetal position, allowing her anguish to consume her. She was barely rational to hear somebody scream from the huge arena next to her, followed by a violent bang against one of the walls. There was a momentary silence after that until she heard conversation once more, but the thick paneling muted their speech, preventing her from discerning the voices.

Then suddenly, a voice rang clearly through the room, as if he stood next to her.

"I'm awake Sasori-sama… yeah," the unmistakable voice of Deidara said. Upon hearing his voice, she quickly snapped out of her trance and struggled to sit up straight. Hearing him talk felt like a stone had just been lifted from her heart.

Deidara was there.

… But _Sasuke _wasn't.

Her world collapsed once more as she realized where she was again. Sound… Sasuke was… was… Orochimaru had taken over his body. Countless prisoners… A few male voices in the room next to her.

_Akatsuki is here…_

Her eyes widened in disbelief as she came across this little truth. Akatsuki was _here_.

With newfound motive, she forced herself to stand up, gritting her teeth as she made her way to the door. She took in a deep, shuttering breath before touching the freezing doorknob. Without thinking her fingers numbly traced the outlines of the metal, but before her resolve broke, she shook away her deadening thoughts as she turned the knob and opened the door. What she saw made her eyes widen and froze her on the spot.

Sasuke… no… _Orochimaru _was standing in the middle of the arena. A man with red hair and angelic features stood several feet from him. And in front of that man, stood Deidara; blood splattered all over him: the left side of his face was caked with the crimson substance, slowly trailing down his neck, his leg guards had small tinges of red on it, and although it was hard to distinguish, she knew that parts of his robe were soaked. His hair had come undone as well and now hung around his face in loose, tousled strands, the end of those strands matted with blood. Unable to stand the sight of the injured man, she focused her attention at the other end of the arena, only to gasp again at the scene.

The distinctive form of Kisame lied several feet behind Orochimaru, seemingly unconscious. There were several puppets, similar to the ones of Kankurou of the Sand, scattered all around the floor in pieces, as if they were discarded playthings.

_Puppets… _She thought as she tried to reorganize her thoughts. _… Then this must be Sasori, Deidara's partner. Deidara had mentioned that he used puppets to fight._

"Sakura," a voice suddenly called out and woke her from her thoughts. Sasori was staring directly at her, but the one who had called her was Deidara. A goofy smile was on his lips as he waved. "Fancy seeing you here… yeah."

"Moron," Sasori muttered in his muted voice, but it was loud enough for Sakura to hear it.

She closed her eyes as she tried to stop the memories from flooding her memories, but it was too late.

"_Surname; Uzumaki. Name; Naruto. Alias," Naruto introduced himself to the feudal lord of the Country of Tea._

"_Moron," Sasuke finished for him._

"_Moro-," Naruto echoed before realizing what he was saying. "No, no!"_

Back then, she laughed at Naruto's stupidity and Sasuke's dry sense of humor. Briefly, she wondered if she would ever be able to laugh like that again. A sudden crash made her look up and she trembled as she saw Sasuke - No, Orochimaru. It's _Orochimaru! - _Orochimaru kicking Deidara out of the way as he advanced on Sasori. A vicious grin was still plastered on his face as he stepped closer towards Sasori. Sasori however, kept silent and didn't move a muscle as he saw Orochimaru closing in on him.

Sakura admired him already; she flinched whenever Orochimaru simply lifted a finger.

"I'm… not done yet… yeah," Deidara's weakened voice muttered as he stood up, trying to control his knees that were shaking under his weight. It pained her to see that strong man, who always been able to make her laugh, that made her feel comfortable… To see that man losing a fight to her ultimate betrayer.

Her blood boiled with rage as she clenched her jaw and balled her fist.

He killed Sasuke; he took out Kisame; he was toying with Deidara as if he were nothing. Wasn't there anybody who could stand up against his monstrous power? She had always figured that the Akatsuki would be able to kill Orochimaru without even breaking a sweat.

But she was wrong.

Deidara stood defiantly in front of Orochimaru, still dripping with blood and his blonde hair obscuring most of his face. But she knew he would be smirking. Because that was a part of Deidara's magic.

He always smirked.

She stared at Deidara for a moment, before glancing at Orochimaru. He was forming seals at a high speed, but she could easily recognize that pattern. After all, she had seen Sasuke performing that attack so many times that she could execute the seals in her sleep.

_Katon; Goukakyuu no Jutsu_

Something snapped inside of her as she realized that she was going to lose another friend. If Orochimaru released such a powerful attack from only a few feet from his target, Deidara would be roasted within seconds.

She would lose another one of her friends. She couldn't let that happen.

As if she was in a dream, she watched how Orochimaru made the 'horse' seal and knew that there was only one more seal left. Mustering all of her guts and courage, she sprinted forwards. She saw Orochimaru turn towards her, completely surprised as the pink-haired kunoichi threw herself in front of Deidara.

"Sakura…. What are you doing? …Yeah?" Deidara whispered hoarsely. She had thrown herself in front of him. Why?

Sakura's eyes narrowed as she started to accumulate her chakra in her fist. "I don't ever want to see someone precious to me die," she spoke up, unaware that she was echoing Sasuke's words.

She turned around slightly to smile at Deidara before looking back at Orochimaru. Immediately, she saw the change in his body. His stance had changed significantly: before Orochimaru had just stood up straight, his body poised for attack, now he was partially hunched over as he crouched on the floor. But it was his eyes that had changed the most.

Instead of the burning red Sharingan, or the sharp gold eyes of Orochimaru, his eyes were midnight blue.

Sasuke's original color.

It felt like everything had stopped in that moment. She could faintly hear Sasori talking to Deidara, and Deidara calling her name; but nothing registered. She stared at the older form of Sasuke as he tried to orientate himself, before he looked up and blue met green.

"….Sakura," he managed to utter, before wincing.

"Sasuke…. Sasuke-kun," Sakura whispered as tears rolled over her cheeks. This was his voice. It was deeper and it sounded more mature, but it was Sasuke's. She could immediately hear the soothing softness and smoothness that Sasuke's voice possessed.

Taking a few tentative steps in his direction, she dropped the kunai she had reflexively pulled out when dashed towards Orochimaru.

This wasn't Orochimaru. It was Sasuke.

_Sasuke's back…_

As soon as her shaky, tentative steps brought her only a hand breadth away, she unceremoniously threw her arms around him. She felt how he stiffened under her touch, but didn't relinquish her hold on him. She had been dreaming of this for so long; she wasn't about to let go. Not now; not ever.

"Sakura…" his muted voice sounded weak. "I can't control him much longer Sakura."

Shocked, Sakura let go of Sasuke as she stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"Orochimaru took over my body," Sasuke gritted his teeth as he continued the struggle in his mind. "Listen carefully Sakura. If you kill me now, I won't resist."

"Kill you…? Why would I?" Sakura muttered in confusion and distress. How could he ever think she would kill him?

"If I die, Orochimaru dies with me, because he won't be able to transfer in time," Sasuke's eyes pierced through hers. "I was banished into a far corner of my mind for such a long time, but I had to stop him when you jumped in front of that guy in the middle of Orochimaru's attack."

"I don't ever want to see anyone precious to me die again," Sasuke added softly. "Do it Sakura. Do it now, while I'm in control."

"No… I can't kill you," she whispered softly as she started to sob softly. "I love you Sasuke, I can't let you die… Please… There has to be another way, please…" she pleaded softly.

"There isn't another way," Sasuke's reply was unintentionally harsh. "Orochimaru will kill you when he regains control. The Sharingan is too strong."

Using all of his willpower, he continued to drive Orochimaru back into a dark spot in his mind. He wouldn't let Sakura get killed. There was no other way; he was too weak to control his own body and Orochimaru was strong. Too strong.

"Please Sakura," Sasuke finally resorted to begging. "I'm not strong enough to use the Chidori on myself."

"No… I won't do it," Sakura said resolutely. "I can't kill you… We'll find a way; we'll find something to get you back in control Sasuke-kun. I promise."

"There isn't," Sasuke flinched. He was losing his inner battle and Orochimaru was starting to take over again. It was now or never. "He's coming back; I can't stop him for much longer. Do it Sakura! For me… This is the only thing I'll ever ask of you!"

He watched her like a hawk as she weighed the pros and cons of his proposition. It was the hardest decision she ever had to make, but she knew he was right. If Orochimaru finally reclaimed total control over Sasuke's body, he would become unstoppable, wreaking havoc upon all. She was sure that he wouldn't stop his gruesome experiments and he would definitely try to take over Konoha again. This was her best chance at defeating Orochimaru. This was her only chance.

So she nodded.

"I love you Sasuke-kun… I'll always love you… Don't ever forget that," she sobbed as she pulled him close for another hug; a last embrace. This time, although briefly, he put his arms around her, hugging her affectionately.

"Thank you," Sasuke replied. And then he smiled.

"Farewell Sakura."

With tears in her eyes, she started to store her chakra into her right fist, using all of it to ensure certain death. Sasuke shouldn't suffer anymore. He had been suffering for the past ten years already.

As the tears rolled down her cheeks, clouding her vision slightly, she smiled back at him.

"Farewell Sasuke," she smiled before thrusting her fist though his stomach.

She watched with a soft smile how his midnight blue eyes changed back to the vicious gold color and Orochimaru's voice cut through the air as he screamed in pure agony. Sakura had punctured a hole right through him; large enough for Orochimaru to bleed to death within seconds.

Orochimaru stared at her as he cackled with his last breath. Shallow breaths departed from his parted lips. Death was coming fast, even faster than the time when he had been fighting the Sandaime. He felt tired, more tired then he had ever been in his life. Closing his eyes, he could hear the voice of his former mentor.

"So, you're finally here, Orochimaru?"

-------------------------

"_Thank you…"_

She finally understood what he had meant with those words. Why had had replied with a simple 'thank you' while she had spilled out everything to him. She had told him that she loved him; that she would follow him wherever he would go. And he replied with 'thank you.'

Now she understood.

He had said thank you, because there were no other words.

There was nothing she could say that could change his mind, not even her confession of love for him. But he loved her back, perhaps only as a teammate, but he had loved her. He wouldn't have looked out for her if he didn't. He wouldn't have protected her if he didn't.

It took her ten years to get there, but she finally understood him.

She finally understood Sasuke.

------------------------

_**A/N: **Wow, drama!_

_Some of you might be wondering about this entire thing with Sasuke being in control for a while. I firmly believe that Orochimaru's jutsu just suppresses the original soul that used to inhabit the body in order to create room for Orochimaru. But of course, those souls will eventually die. I guess that Sasuke had so much willpower left in him that he was still there and he came out when Sakura needed him the most._

_Yes, corny, I know. Don't kill me over it though. Besides, this was a good way to end thing between the two of them._

_So, Itachi is on his way to Sound while his presence is no longer needed, Salmon-chan is knocked out, Deidara hurt, Sasori pretty much untouched. Sakura is heartbroken and mourning the death of her teammate. Oh, and Konoha's team is on their way towards Sound! Suspense, suspense._

_I promise the next chapter won't take so long. It's almost done actually._

_Thank you Stem for being my beta-reader!_

_See you next time!_

_-- MitsukiShiroi_


	4. Chapter 4

**Evolution – An Itachi & Sakura story.**

**By: Mitsuki Shiroi**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

_**A/N: **Yes, the last omg-Sasuke-died-cry-chapter. After this, it'll be slightly angsty, with the occasional drama, and let's not forget, ItaSaku-ness._

**Chapter Four – The Whereabouts of Happiness**

For the longest time, she stood there…

Watching Sasuke's body on the ground; how the blood slowly seeped from the wound, tainting everything it touched. Half of his ashen face was already lying in a puddle of the red liquid, stained forever.

She felt oddly empty inside yet found herself unable to cry; it was as if she had no more tears left. She let herself fall down on the floor, not caring in the least when her knees harshly met the floor.

From behind her, the sound of Deidara and his partner talking to each other echoed in her ears, as well as the sound of someone moving towards her. So she wasn't exactly surprised as she suddenly saw the black and red Akatsuki robes standing in front of her.

_Deidara… He's hurt… So much blood…_

She stretched her arm out like a helpless child reaching out for their parent, before gently pulling Deidara to the ground. He kneeled down before her, a worried look in his eye. Ignoring his concern, she made a few seals and as her hands glowed with her chakra, she moved them to his neck and healed the cuts and bruises there. Deidara remained completely silent and still, not moving one muscle, until she leaned in closer to heal a shallow cut in his cheek. His hand rose and cupped her cheek as he tilted Sakura's face to meet his.

"Your eyes look older… yeah," Deidara spoke softly as he caressed her cheek; Sakura's eyes devoid of any emotion.

No words were spoken as she slowly stood up, strolled to the other end of the arena, and crouched down beside the sprawled form of Kisame. Forming another series of seals, she quickly healed Kisame and stared at him as he groaned and carefully opened his eyes, trying to collect himself. Clutching his head in hopes of easing the pain, he sat up straight and warily glanced from Sasori and Deidara to Sasuke's body on the floor.

Wordlessly, Sakura sharply stood up, turned around and left the room, unaware of the tense silence that lingered behind. Stunned at the kunoichi's impassive behaviour, Deidara tossed Kisame and Sasori a worried look before following her out of the chamber.

He spotted her on the stairs that led up to the dormitories; her bubblegum hair almost like a beacon in the darkened room. He quickly jogged after her and hurried up the stairs, taking two steps at a time until he had reached her immobile figure. He was sure that she had heard all the commotion he created, but she didn't even twitch at his presence, she just simply stared at the door in front of her. Tentatively, he took a few steps forward until he stood behind her.

She was tracing the kanji of Sasuke's name.

"Sakura," he whispered softly as he stretched out his hand to touch her shoulder; this small gesture waking her from her trance. The hand that had been caressing the bold kanji in a loving matter dropped down as she touched the doorknob hesitantly.

Taking in a deep breath, she turned the doorknob with a soft click, before slowly pushing the door open. The room, as expected, was pitch black, but being the kunoichi she was, her eyes adjusted to the darkness quickly as she gradually ventured into the room.

"Here," Deidara broke the heavy atmosphere as he formed a few seals and created a mini-fireball to light up the candles that stood on a small desk near the door.

It was a bleak, cramped room, much too small to be called comfy, and much too dismal to be called welcoming. A large scroll with the character for 'shinobi' hung on the wall and a bed with black covers that was fit for someone Sasuke's size was located on the opposite side of the room. His eyes roamed over the room as he took in every detail; from the neatly folded clothes on a chair near a small desk, to the pile of scrolls in the corner to the hitae-ate with the emblem of Sound and the lone picture that rested on the desk.

Deidara watched in silence as Sakura sat down on the bed, grabbing one of Sasuke's pillows and squeezing it with all of her might. Not knowing how to handle a situation like this, Deidara turned away from the despairing kunoichi and picked up the picture that stood on the desk. It was covered in dust, but he could easily recognize the Uchiha fan that was found on the frame. Using his cloak, Deidara wiped the dust from the thin glass and his eyes widened as soon as he realized that he was looking at a picture of Itachi's family, although it seemed that Sasuke had torn Itachi out of the picture.

The first person to catch his eye was a woman with friendly, midnight eyes, long, black hair, and a bright smile that outshined her other attributes. A rather stern looking, elder man stood next to her, and Deidara nearly lost his composure when he realized that this had to be Itachi's father. He was the complete opposite of his wife; he didn't smile and his eyes weren't as lively as his counterpart's were. Between his parents stood a young Sasuke, a pleasant grin like his mother's plastered on his face, both young and chubby with baby fat. His eyes were brimming with hopes and dreams; he looked completely different from the first picture he had seen of the Uchiha.

_Little did that boy know that his world would collapse… yeah._

"Deidara," Sakura softly murmured. Immediately, he whirled around, surprised that she had spoken. "I'd like to be alone for a while," she continued in a hoarse whisper.

Deidara gave her a worried glance before nodding reluctantly. She needed some time to herself; he understood. Without another word, he parted, closing the door behind him.

She couldn't hear or see anything anymore when she buried her face in Sasuke's pillows; trying to catch the scent that was unique, and his alone.

Unfortunately, rather than smelling the combination of sandalwood and forest, she could now only smell the musky scent that had lingered throughout the entire building.

His scent has faded, just like the rest of him.

Realization dawned on her along with a form of acceptance. He would never return to Konoha, nor would he ever sit in between her and Naruto, brooding like always after he and their blonde team mate had yet another competition that ended with a "bastard" and "dobe". She would never hear that small 'hn' he made whenever he was amused, or his fierce fortitude and smooth stance when they were about to enter a battle.

She would never see his back again.

"_He hasn't got any parents... That's why he's so selfish!"_

"_Solitude... It's a whole other level of sadness than when your parents get mad at you."_

"_What's gotten into you?"_

"_You're...annoying."_

She sobbed softly as she buried her face deeper in the softness of the pillow that he had slept on for three years, anxiously trying to find his scent again; the one that could always reassure her that he was there; the one that made her feel peaceful.

"_I told you this before; I'm an avenger. And nobody, not even you, will stop me."_

Her eyes were drowning in tears as she recalled all those memories of their time together.

"Why did you leave me Sasuke?" she asked desperately as she looked around the room.

"_Go home and sleep. Everything will be over in the morning."_

Then she broke down.

Throwing herself off the bed, she embraced the freezing floor, enjoying the way her hands and knees were horribly bruised and scratched from the harsh texture. Pressing her face in her hands, she tried to stifle the anguished sobs as she whispered his name over and over again; a mantra for her suffering soul.

"_Sakura... Thank you."_

His arrogant grin, his useless fights with Naruto and his look of determination. She could remember them all so clearly that her chest throbbed in agony.

"_Thank you."_

"Sasuke," she cried softly, gasping each syllable of his name. "Sasuke..."

A flash passed before her eyes and she was twelve again. He stood in front of her staring menacingly at her opponents, as purple chakra surrounded his body that was engulfed by Orochimaru's cursed seal.

"_Who did this to you Sakura?"_

Another flash; the three of them were stalking Kakashi, desperately trying to get a glimpse of what was underneath the mask.

"_Idiot! You let him get away."_

He was standing in front of her again as Zabuza closed in on the three young genin and Tazuna.

No matter what battle, he always stood in front of her, protecting her.

"_Sakura... Thank you," _he had whispered softly from behind her. She could still smell his unique scent and feel the warmth of his body. She could even hear him breathe softly before he knocked her out and everything ended.

She balled her fist as she started pounding on the floor; fingers becoming bloody and bruised from the repeated impact.

"No!" she screamed hysterically. "NO!"

Deidara ran in suddenly and captured her wrists before she could continue her assault on the floor and her injured appendages.

She struggled frantically in his grasp. "Give him back," she choked out as she her hands landed on his chest. "Give him back…"

Deidara remained silent as Sakura abruptly threw herself on him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. Not knowing what to do, Deidara settled for stroking her back softly as he soothingly whispered words of comfort.

"Sasuke…" she continued to mumble softly. In her mind's eye, she could see him flashing her that trademark Uchiha smirk. "Give him back to me... Sasuke…"

Nothingness was slowly conquering her.

The last thing she saw was Sasuke finally opening his eyes after Haku's devastating attack; he had narrowly escaped death.

"_Sakura... You're heavy."_

And then he smiled.

----------------------

Deidara cradled the pink-haired kunoichi in his arms until he felt her weakening, finally succumbing to oblivion. He picked her up in his arms and carried her outside the room. Without much effort, he walked down the stairs, towards the center of the arena where Kisame and Sasori stood silently, waiting for the both of them.

"Itachi is on his way, Zetsu just came by to tell us that," Sasori said as soon as Deidara stood in front of them. "He'll be here in an hour or so."

"Good," Deidara replied as he laid Sakura down on the floor, before he took off his robes and wrapped them around Sakura's petite frame in an attempt to warm her icy frame.

"How is she?" Sasori asked as he glanced at Sakura's unconscious body.

"As well as can be expected… yeah," Deidara sighed.

"It was his own damn fault though," Kisame growled. "He was given the choice to stay in Konoha or join Orochimaru. He knew the consequences, and yet he chose Orochimaru. It was a huge mistake."

"Don't say that," a weak voice whispered. The three Akatsuki members turned around to see Sakura still lying on the floor, staring numbly at the ceiling. "It's not Sasuke's fault."

"Then whom do you want to blame, kunoichi?" Sasori's soft voice coaxed. "The boy made the decision to leave; you can't blame anyone else for that."

"It's his fault," her voice was nothing more then a throaty whisper. "It's all Itachi's fault."

"I don't think it's appropriate to blame me for this," a smooth voice interjected. Sakura's eyed widened slightly; she may have remained stationary in her place on the ground, but she didn't need to get up to see who it was.

She already knew.

It was the man that Sasuke hated with all of his heart; the man who Sasuke vowed to slay once he became strong enough. It was the man who _she _despised with all her heart yet inexplicably longed to see.

_Uchiha Itachi._

"You're early," Kisame grinned slightly as he spotted his partner. "Zetsu said you would arrive in an hour or so."

Itachi didn't answer as his gaze drifted around the arena. His blood-red Sharingan focused on the broken kunoichi on the floor for a moment, before looking away. Removing the straw hat he had been wearing from his head, the bell attached to the hat made a serene, yet eerie sound as the hat fluttered down to the floor. Although she had always found it peaceful to listen to the bells that the Akatsuki members wore, she couldn't help but suppress the thought that it sounded rather haunting at the moment.

"I'm guessing Zetsu reported to you?" Sasori asked quietly, his eyes fixed on Itachi.

"Yes," Itachi replied after a short pause. "But not the entire situation."

Sasori nodded in understanding. "We arrived here yesterday. The first shinobi we encountered was that medic, Kabuto. Kisame killed him promptly."

Itachi nodded curtly, before gesturing for Sasori to continue the explanation.

"Orochimaru stormed in right after we killed Kabuto. We killed him too," Sasori continued emotionlessly. "And I don't know if Zetsu has told you the news; but Orochimaru had already taken over your brother's body. He died three years ago."

Sakura's eyes widened at the unsympathetic words that Sasori had uttered; yet those words had provided an important realization.

'_Already'… They knew… They knew that Orochimaru could take over bodies, and they never told me…_

She had experienced many emotions throughout the day; sadness, anger, rage and now: betrayal. Betrayed by Deidara, who was supposed to be her friend and by Itachi, who had the nerve to kiss her and sleep in the same room as her even though he _knew_.

If Itachi felt any emotion to the news that his brother had been killed and the fact that he was _the _last Uchiha left; she would never have known.

She could hear nothing except the soft breathing of Deidara.

When the suffocating tension in the room became unbearable, she raggedly dragged the upper part of her body off of the ground and swivelled her head to face him.

He was staring at her, his eyes as blank as ever, just like the rest of his face. His eyes slowly travelled over her body, before he turned back to Sasori.

"Who finished him?" Itachi inquired curiously.

"Sakura… yeah," Deidara spoke up for the first time since Itachi entered the arena. He crouched down on Sakura's left, his elbows resting comfortably on his strong thighs and his back slightly hunched.

_I finished him… I killed him… Sasuke._

Itachi gave Deidara a cold stare before moving his gaze to Sakura. Although he didn't utter the words, he found it hard to believe that this girl in front of him would be able to finish Orochimaru off, especially since he inhabited the body of his little brother.

"If a kunoichi of Sakura's caliber was strong enough to kill him, then he didn't put up a good fight," Itachi's cold reply rang in her ears.

When she heard those words, Sakura struggled to sit up straight as anger filled her. Deidara quickly put an end to her struggles though when he pushed her down using only the palm of his hand.

"On the contrary Itachi, your brother's body put up an even better fight than the Fifth Kazekage," Deidara replied, malice lacing every word. "You have forgotten the fact that Sakura is a strong, capable kunoichi. Don't underestimate her."

Sakura scrutinized the blonde Akatsuki member next to her carefully. He seemed so diverse today; before he had been tenderly comforting her and now his chakra was radiating a dangerous intent.

To be honest; she was fearful of the gleam in his eye.

_What happened between the two of them that made them act so hostile towards one another?_

Itachi, however, just calmly glanced at Deidara before taking a step into his and Sakura's direction. Instinctively, Deidara dropped on his knees, staring menacingly as Itachi closed in on the both of them. Sakura stiffened as she witnessed the unadulterated anger and fury manifest in Deidara's visible eye.

Itachi stopped several feet before them, staring at Deidara with his impassive look still present on his face. Deidara didn't relinquish his hold on Sakura nor did he turn his eyes away. Sakura on the other hand, started quivering violently; she was afraid of the look in Deidara's eyes. She had seen it once before, that pure form of disgust and rage in _Sasuke's_ eyes when he had defeated the Sound-nin in the Forest of Death.

Feeling the kunoichi squirm under his hands, Deidara finally lowered his gaze to ask Sakura what she was doing. What he saw nearly stopped his heart.

She was staring at him, her eyes widened as she tried to wriggle away from him. Tears had formed in the corners of her eyes and uncontrollable fear was blatantly obvious in her orbs. Quickly realizing that he was frightening her, Deidara took in a deep, consoling breath before counting to ten, trying to rein in his temper.

As he visibly relaxed, he relinquished his hold on her shoulders. The same, goofy grin she remembered vividly found a way back to his lips and his eye creased slightly in relief. The dangerous chakra that seemed to encircle him was gone in an instant, and finally, she could recognize Deidara again.

"Sakura," he whispered soothingly as he bowed over her to give her a hug. "You're back with us; everything will be alright now."

He brushed away the tears from the corners of her eyes before nodding as he stood up.

"What should we do now?" he asked Itachi, the malice and anger gone from his voice.

"Sasori and you will set off for Mist. Kisame will report to Leader and I'll take the kunoichi," Itachi answered evenly.

_No! _Inner Sakura screamed. _I don't want to go with him! He's the reason that Sasuke is… That he's…_

She couldn't say those words. If she did, it would become reality. He was gone, but it would feel _real_ if she uttered them. Just for a little longer, she would refrain herself from saying those words. She wasn't sure if she would be able to live with herself if she voiced them now.

She watched in horror as Deidara flashed her an encouraging smile before vanishing into thin air, abandoning her. Looking to her left, she noticed that Sasori had also disappeared. Kisame was the last one left before he nodded at Itachi, lifted the Samehada back into his sheath and followed the example that Deidara and Sasori had set.

And just like that, she was all alone with Itachi.

"It's been a while Sakura," Itachi's muted, smooth voice cut through the tense silence. He watched how she turned away from him, staring at a wooden door on the other side of the room.

"Two days," she spat out bitterly. He had betrayed her and Sasuke; she wouldn't give him a second chance to get under her skin. She was stronger than that.

"Two days and I find you in a pathetic and broken state, just like when I first found you," Itachi answered simply.

She chose to ignore that comment. "Why did you come here?" her voice sounded raspy to her own ears.

"I am Akatsuki. Although we don't work as one, large team, we do assist each other when missions are endangered of failing," Itachi glared at her form. He had never expected to see her again, yet here she was; his brother was murdered by Orochimaru and she was an emotional wreck. Typical.

She remained silent after that. She didn't care if he killed her; she didn't care much about anything anymore. The door in front of her led to the room where her hopes faded and her dreams were shattered; her soul was destroyed there. Taking a deep breath in, she turned around again to face Itachi.

His black robes blended in perfectly with the darkness that shrouded the both of them; he was almost one of the large shadows that surrounded the room. Yet oddly enough the red clouds on his cloak looked out of place; distorting the illusion along with the burning Sharingan that pierced through the dark

"_I'm not a coward!" Sasuke yelled, standing in front of Orochimaru. Blue bled red as he activated the Sharingan, his eyes blazing with rage. "If I freeze up during times like this, I don't have a chance against him!"_

She shook her head faintly as she tried to stop those memories from surfacing again. It hurt to think about him; the wound on her heart was still fresh and bleeding.

She forced herself to look Itachi in his eyes, to prove that she wasn't the weak kunoichi he thought she was. The blank look in his eyes was still there as he crouched down beside her.

"Are you hurt?" he asked after a short pause.

"Yes," she answered as she swallowed hard to try and remove the large lump that had formed in her throat. Itachi was a smart man; he would understand what she meant. If he did, he never said a word as he leaned in closer.

"Stand up," he said in his muted voice.

"No," Sakura replied defiantly. "I'm not your hostage anymore. You can't tell me what to do."

"You wish to stay here?" Itachi asked curiously. "Sasuke is dead. There's nothing left here."

"I don't want to go with you," she muttered under her breath as she avoided Itachi's piercing gaze. "Leave me alone."

"You're a missing-nin," Itachi said as he grew slightly impatient. "You have nowhere else to go. Come with us Sakura. You'll no longer be a hostage of Akatsuki."

"No," she said clearly as she tried her hardest to refrain herself from striking Itachi. "This is all your fault. If you hadn't killed the Uchiha clan, they would all be alive and Sasuke would… Sasuke would still…"

"Sasuke wouldn't have died," Itachi finished for her, ignoring her flinch at that particular word. "But I did kill them, and Sasuke did die. I cannot change the past. Nor do I wish to change it."

"Why?" She mentally berated herself for sounding so weak. "Why did you kill them? Was it really just to measure your strength? Tell me Itachi."

"Please," she added as her tone turned into imploring.

"You are strange," Itachi avoided her question. "First, you accuse me of killing Sasuke, now you're pleading."

"I'm pleading because I want to know," she answered softly. "I want to know the reason why Sasuke was chosen for Orochimaru. Why didn't he pick you?"

"It should have been you," she whispered sadly.

Itachi paused for a bit as he mused over the words that the kunoichi had thrown at him. She was definitely hurting because of Sasuke's death, but he could sense that a part of her wanted to hurt him as well. It wasn't hard to figure out; it would be have been much easier for her to see him die than Sasuke.

But he couldn't bring himself to care.

This was all Sasuke's fault. If only he had listened. If he had just followed the simple rules that Itachi had given him.

He resisted the urge to sigh as he mulled over his current situation. The Konoha squad was close and if he didn't leave now, he would have to fight. And then there was Sakura.

Quickly, he weighed the risks of leaving her there. If he left her, the Konoha squad would either kill her or take her with them. If he took her with him, she could heal the rest of Kisame and Deidara's wounds, not to mention that she would be a good bait to lure the Kyuubi.

"Sakura, get up," he said smoothly as he stood up, ignoring her stare of incredulity.

"Didn't I just tell you that I'm not leaving with you?" she hissed.

She watched him warily as he closed his eyes. Although she had tried to act tough in front of him, he could still get under her skin and frighten the living daylights out of her. After all, this was an notorious shinobi she was dealing with, the strongest of the Uchiha clan.

_The only one left…_

She swallowed hard as she willed herself to stop thinking about Itachi in terms of being the last Uchiha left.

She had feelings for Itachi; less then pure ones to boot. He had kissed her, and she had let him. With an inexplicable pain in her heart, she had watched him leave her, and now she felt that same sensation as she realized how he made her feel. He first and foremost, inspired sentiments of disgust and betrayal from his involvement in Sasuke's death, but she just couldn't find the willpower to rid herself of those _other _emotions.

She would never tell him about them though.

She would never let him touch her again; let him kiss her again. If she gave in, she would become a traitor to Sasuke's memory. He hated Itachi to his dying breath, and so would she.

She would never leave with him; she would rather die.

Itachi opened his eyes.

_Mangekyou Sharingan._

Slumber captured her before she even realized it.

--------------------------

His eyes stung as he reverted back to his normal Sharingan. He hadn't planned to use the Mangekyou Sharingan so quickly after he had recovered, but he deemed it impossible to take Sakura with him without a fight. Besides, Itachi didn't force women.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, he tried to adjust to the irritating feeling in his eyes, before he kneeled down and picked Sakura up with ease. Unceremoniously, he threw her over his shoulder and then proceeded to walk into the room where they had hidden Sasuke's body from Sakura's view.

Itachi felt nothing as he grabbed his brother's body that was soaked in blood, even when he noticed that the fluid was seeping into his robes. An instant later, he appeared outside the building and set both Sakura and Sasuke down. Checking to make sure Sakura was still unconscious; he stalked towards the stairs that led to Orochimaru's former headquarters, before walking down them at an even pace. Entering the illuminated hallway, he grabbed one of the candles that stood on a small, stone platform and resumed his way.

Holding the candle in front of him, he saw a countless number of gritty, unkempt cells that radiated a vile stench among them. He ignored the inhabitants of the nauseating atmosphere as they stood up, rushing towards the doors. They stretched their hands through the bars, trying to grab him, but he was too quick for them, and gone before they knew it.

Upon entering the arena for the second time that day, he searched the walls thoroughly. When he had been there earlier, he had seen something out of the corner of his eye that had sparked his interest. As his fingers nimbly searched the stone wall, he found what he had been looking for: a control panel.

He brought the candle closer to the panel as he tried to distinguish the hastily scribbled kanji on the panel.

_Arena… Medic chamber… Research lab… Cells._

Turning the last switch, he could hear the cells doors gratingly open and the prisoners inside gasp and murmur in disbelief, some of them eagerly escaping their containments. Even a few of the more venturous souls wandered into the arena where Itachi was, curious about his appearance and actions.

"Orochimaru is dead. None of you will be used as experiments anymore," he explained, leaving no room for questions. "Leave now."

Everybody complied easily, some of them cheered softly, others muttered words of gratitude. Soon, the arena and the cells were completely empty, with the exception of Itachi and a small girl with tousled black hair and an infected scar that stretched from her right eye to her chin. Blank, light blue eyes stared at him.

"Uchiha Itachi?" she rasped softly.

His eyes turned into slits as he heard her murmur his name. By the looks of it, the girl had been born there, so there was no way of her knowing him. His unyielding gaze never left her frail body as she grasped something in the pocket of her tattered garment. She pulled it out gently and when she had removed her hand, he could clearly see that it was a scroll.

"Your brother asked me to give this to you," she continued in her raspy, yet muted voice. "He came to me before Orochimaru took over, and told me that you would come in an assassination squad of the organization Akatsuki."

She took a few tentative steps forward before carefully placing the scroll on the ground. She made a deep bow in front of him, then turned on her heels and ran away from the room, towards her freedom.

Eyeing the scroll with suspicion, he observed it cautiously. It seemed to be an ordinary scroll. He used his Sharingan to check for any signs of chakra in the scroll that could indicate a trap, until he was satisfied. Grabbing the scroll from the ground, he placed it in his robes for safe keeping.

At the same time, he grabbed some of his explosive tags out of his back pocket. Using his skill of agility to the fullest, he sped through the entire building, setting the timer on each tag for three minutes. He couldn't sense anyone else in the vicinity, indicating that all prisoners had fled. Forming a few seals to activate the tags, he appeared back outside the compound. Sakura and Sasuke were still lying there, and he could see that the prisoners had walked right past them; none of the tracks seemed to go towards the two.

He glanced at his brother for a second, glaring as he came across the markings on his neck. He had seen them years before, when Sasuke was still alive. At that time he had already been branded as Orochimaru's. Leaning forward, he closed his brother's eyes.

_This was not what I had planned Sasuke._

Konoha would find him and give him a proper burial; it was the least he could do.

Itachi quickly glanced at the building that served as Sound's base; he would have only one minute left and if he'd leave Sasuke in that place, he would be obliterated along with the structure. Sighing heavily, he picked up his younger brother's body and Sakura before moving several hundred yards away.

Placing Sasuke on the ground, he glanced one last time at his foolish little brother, before moving Sakura to his back, her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.

_Now that I think about it, I never kept my promise to take you out for shuriken training, _Itachi thought as a small smirk tugged on the edges of his mouth. He bended over slightly as he tapped Sasuke's forehead. _Forgive me Sasuke, maybe next time. _

Just as the former headquarters of Sound exploded, Itachi vanished into thin air, carrying a comatose Sakura on his back.

-----------------------

_**A/N: **I loved that ending. Itachi might seem slightly OOC, but I'm sure there's more going on in his head then the anime and manga let's us on. And besides; wasn't Sasuke the only one who Itachi showed a little affection to?_

_See you next time!_

_MitsukiShiroi_

_(On a side note; the quick editor is pasting a lot of words together. Sorry for the inconvenience, I always try to fix it right away)_


	5. Chapter 5

**Evolution – An Itachi & Sakura story.**  
**By: Mitsuki Shiroi**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

_**A/N: **This chapter is dedicated to a good friend! Thanks for everything Phantomica!_

**Chapter Five – Bittersweet Reunion**

"Who did this…?" Naruto whispered in disbelief at the remains of Sound's headquarters. It had only been two hours since the group heard the explosion and when they arrived at their destination, the source of the detonation had been found; Sound was completely obliterated.

"Someone with exceptional skill," Shikamaru remarked softly. "Neji, could you use your Byakugan? Perhaps there are survivors."

Neji easily complied by closing his eyes and forming a flurry of seals. When he reopened his eyes, the veins around his eyes protruded his pale skin. The figure that lied several yards behind them was spotted easily.

_Sasuke…_

He stared at the body of the Uchiha for what seemed like a perpetual moment. The tint of blood was overflowing and the steady flow of chakra had halted. It was easy to conclude that the Uchiha had died not too long ago.

Sighing heavily, Neji deactivated his Byakugan; this wasn't going to be an easy report. During the journey towards Sound, Naruto had been going on and on how he was going to drag Sasuke's ass back to Konoha, even if he had to Rasengan him into a coma; Sasuke was his best friend, they were like brothers.

Fate was cruel at times.

Naruto was staring at him expectantly just like his other team mates. This was it; he would have to be the one to tell him. Taking in a deep breath, he opened his mouth to speak, yet found himself unable to. Memories of the day that he found out that Tenten had died swamped his senses.

"_I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this… But Tenten died during an ANBU mission this morning," the Fifth said with a painful look in her eyes._

With nostalgia washing over him, he shut his mouth and closed his eyes, while he pointed to the area where the corpse resided. He couldn't tell him; it wasn't his place. Naruto got the hint right off the back and sprinted towards the direction that Neji had pointed into; Kiba, Shikamaru, Lee, Genma and Gai close behind. The only one who stayed still was Kakashi; observing Neji and his grim demeanour

"He's gone, isn't he?" Kakashi asked quietly.

When confirmation came in the form of a small nod, Kakashi bowed his head slightly; devastating guilt overtaking him. He was such a foolish teacher; if only he could have stopped Sasuke, helped him, talked to him, then none of this could have happened.

In the distance, he could hear Naruto frenetically crying Sasuke's name and without faltering, he sprinted towards the origin of the shouting; Neji right behind him. Every second that took them to get there had become an hour. His feet and chest felt heavy as he stepped into the clearing where the others had assembled.

The body that had once belonged to Sasuke lied half on the ground, his upper body cradled in Naruto's now blood-soaked arms; the aforementioned not caring about the stains. It was glaringly obvious that the cause of death was due to the large, gaping hole in Sasuke's abdomen; parts of his vital organs could be seen littering the ground. Nausea was imminent.

Unable to look at the scene that was painstakingly familiar, Kakashi shifted his focus to his team mates' reactions; trying to distract himself from the mangled carcass. Kiba stood several feet behind Naruto, a miserable expression on his face that mirrored the downtrodden Lee next to him.

Genma was one of those who remained calm, having witness these type of occurrences on a daily basis. His features soft and dismayed; toothpick nowhere to be found.

Next to the composed Genma stood Gai; flabbergasted eyes and tremors running through his body. There was little doubt in Kakashi's mind that Gai wasn't reminded of the death of his own student. Attempting to reassure the distraught jounin, Genma placed a comforting hand on Gai's shoulder.

Neji and Shikamaru both were silent, yet not unmoved by the site. Kakashi sighed softly before daring to glance at the source of misery again. He froze when his eyes met Naruto's. His cerulean eyes were a maelstrom of swirling suffering; seeing the typically joyous and boisterous boy in the midst of such emotions made Kakashi's heart stagger.

_I looked the same way when Obito died…_

"Sakura," Naruto muttered hoarsely, tinted with alarm. "Neji, where's Sakura!"

Horror struck all of them as they realized that they hadn't found Sakura yet. Neji quickly reactivated his Byakugan. "Check the ruins first," Kakashi muttered from beside him. Neji nodded curtly, before scanning the area that lied behind them.

He let out a small sigh of relief as he couldn't see anything at first, but with a second and more in-depth look, something came into his vision. A chakra level, depleted to the point where it was nearly impossible to see. His milky-white eyes widened as he realized that he was gawking at the stream of chakra that belonged to a medic-nin. And by the looks of it; she had died before they came.

"What is it Neji?" Naruto asked in a steady voice. Although his tone had risen without wavering, Neji knew better. He had gotten to know Naruto better these past few years and there was no uncertainty in his mind that this was slowly and surely killing Naruto.

"I see somebody lying in the rubble… A medic," Neji softly spoke up; trying to repress the quivering in his pitch.

The blonde boy just stared at him for the longest time, before letting go of Sasuke, gently placing him back on the floor. He stood up promptly, before stalking to Neji and grabbing his ANBU vest, blood-stained hands and all.

"What are you saying Neji!" Naruto yelled as he shook Neji violently. "That's not Sakura I tell you! Are you going blind? That's Kabuto! It has to be Kabuto!"

"Naruto," Kakashi put a hand on his former student's shoulder. "Orochimaru wouldn't leave without his prized medic. Look around; there's no sign of Orochimaru anywhere."

"This isn't happening…" Naruto whispered gutturally as he tried to calm down. "How can they be dead?"

Sobbing softly, he allowed himself to fall to his hands and knees as discolored fingers clutched the long grass in mourning. "Sasuke… Sakura-chan…" They were gone and he was left alone.

The last thing he could remember was urgently grasping the person nearest to him and wailing over their shoulder; wishing, hoping, praying, pleading, desperately demanding that they could all be genin again.

-------------------

_Where am I?_

Sakura opened her eyes little by little, letting them adjust to the bright light that engulfed the room as she attempted to hold up a hand to block the nauseatingly cheerful sunlight.

Without the glare of light burning her eyes, she could see that the room she was in was huge, according to her viewpoint on the bed. And not badly decorated, she admitted as she admired the soft, blue pastel walls. Suddenly spotting a huge vase with the cosmos flowers next to her bed, she gave a small gasp of delight. Propping herself on her elbows, she gently touched the silky petals of the flowers.

"You like them… yeah?" Deidara's distinctive voice whispered. Sakura quickly snapped her head around and found him standing on the other side of the bed. He had probably snuck in while she was admiring the flowers.

"They're one of my favorite flowers," she smiled half heartedly. "Thank you Deidara."

"You're welcome," he grinned back before sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Itachi told me that they are your favorite, so I knew which ones to choose... yeah."

…_Itachi? Oh, the wedding suite… Right._

"Feeling better?" Deidara inquired curiously. She nodded slightly, idly noticing that his hair was loose; long bangs hung in front of his eyes and framed his face perfectly. His light blue eye was teeming with kindness, contrasting from what she had seen the day before.

"How long have I been asleep?" Sakura asked, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"Six hours," Deidara answered without missing a beat. "You don't know how much hell I wanted to give Itachi for using the Mangekyou Sharingan on you… yeah."

Sea-foam colored eyes shot open at that declaration. "Itachi used the Mangekyou Sharingan on me? Why?" She resisted the urge to get out of bed and find Itachi so she could slap him.

"Said you didn't want to go with us… yeah. Why is that Sakura?" Deidara replied, his gaze never leaving hers.

She clenched her hands around the disgustingly fluffy sheets as she bit her lip softly. There were so many reasons why she didn't want to go back with Akatsuki. The most imperative reason, she kept reminding herself, being Itachi. Yet, there were certain other factors that she had to consider, but loathed to do so. All of them – Deidara, Kisame, Itachi – had betrayed her; no one among them had said a word about Sasuke's condition to her.

"You didn't tell me," she whispered harshly, keeping her eyes on those damn, downy sheets. If she looked into those blue eye of his, she knew she would crack. "Why?"

"You're talking in riddles… yeah," Deidara replied confused. "Didn't tell you what?"

"… Sasuke."

"_It seems Orochimaru has already taken over your brother's body."_

'_Already'_

"So you knew?" Deidara's deep voice penetrated her thoughts. He paused for a moment and oddly enough, it reminded her of Itachi in a way. He always paused when talking about important things, as if he had to settle on what information he would give her.

"I didn't know about it either," came the soft reply. Sakura's head shot up as she turned to face Deidara completely. "What are you talking about?"

"I didn't know about Sasuke's condition when we met. I found out when our squad was being sent to Sound," Deidara clarified patiently. "Itachi was the only one who knew."

"I'm sorry Deidara…" Sakura fumbled for words as she struggled to keep Deidara's gaze. "I just assumed that you knew…"

"No worries," he grinned lackadaisically before turning serious again as he grabbed her hand. "I'm sorry too, for kissing you like that. It's just that Itachi… and you… you're extraordinary, Sakura, in so many ways… yeah."

He resisted the urge to smirk with manly pride as he noticed the hard blush that stained her cheeks. But he had spoken the truth. Never before did he have romantic feelings for someone and even if he couldn't say the words out loud; he knew she would understand.

"Deidara… I… I don't know what to say," she said softly, hiding behind a curtain of bubblegum bangs.

"Don't say anything then. I know you're still upset because of the whole Sasuke-situation," Deidara ignored her as she flinched. He caressed her hand with his thumb before continuing. "But I just wanted to tell you this… yeah."

She nodded, before painting another half-smile on her face. Deidara grinned back at her, before patting her knee and standing up. "I'll be back tonight… yeah."

"Wait, Deidara," she called out as he passed the threshold. She heard him chuckle slightly before he turned around and stuck his head in the opening. She bit her lip in anticipation as she steeled herself to look him in the eye. "What did you mean when you said 'Itachi and you' just now?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Deidara said simply. "Itachi likes you. And if you're completely honest with yourself, you know that the feeling is mutual."

He smirked to mask his pain as her eyes widened with understanding and turned around before she could see his smile slip from his face.

------------------------

It was the unobtrusive knock on her door that woke her from her reverie. Looking up from the small couch she was sitting on, she stared at the door for a few moments, wondering who it could be.

"May I come in, Sakura?" his muffled voice inquired.

Her chest slightly constricted with the thought of having to confront him so soon, but she knew she couldn't avoid this any longer. For a moment, she thought about just being silent to see if he would go away, but she knew he would be able to see her with the Sharingan.

"Come in," she replied, trying to steady her voice.

She intently watched the doorknob as it turned and the door silently opened. Without a word, Itachi stepped inside the room, closing the door behind him. He turned around slightly and Sakura quickly noticed the fact that he wasn't wearing his Akatsuki robes. It was interesting to note that his outfit had change; deep-purple trousers with a black shirt that was similar to his previous shirt, but the fishnet triangle from his previous shirt was obviously missing.

He was staring at her, his face still the same blank slate as ever. Vaguely, she wondered if she would ever be able to read him. Probably not.

"What are you doing here?" she asked coolly, trying to match his tone.

"I came here to present you with an offer," he replied after a tense pause. His searing red Sharingan twirled objectively at her as he sat down on a chair opposite to the couch she was sitting on, crossing his legs comfortably.

"An offer?" she whispered as she swallowed hard. "What kind of offer?"

"A choice actually," Itachi resumed, resting his elbows on the arm rest of his chair. He gave her another intense look before continuing. "You're no longer a hostage of Akatsuki."

"You're repeating yourself," Sakura snapped, interrupting him rudely. "Cut to the chase."

For a moment, it almost seemed like he smirked, but it was gone the next moment. Fascinated by his poker-face, she kept her gaze on him as she tried not to blink. There had to be moments where that perfect face of his slipped and he showed some sort of emotion. Perhaps just amusement or a smirk, but he had to show emotion sometime! Didn't he?

"Very well," Itachi answered evenly. "You have a choice to stay here, alone, in Deidara's house. It's Deidara's own offer."

"Deidara's house?" Sakura inquired curiously. "This is where Deidara lives?"

"He obviously did not tell you," Itachi commented after a moment. "Your other option is to come with us."

"What happened to the option where I am free from you?" Sakura murmured sarcastically.

"That would depend on what you mean with that," Itachi remarked coldly. "If you are talking about me alone, this will not end as quickly as you desire it to. If you're talking about Akatsuki, you can end it by staying here and running away as fast as you can once we're gone."

"What do you mean by that?" she asked; a scathing tendency in her voice. "Why won't _this _– whatever you mean by that – end quickly?"

He just watched at her with his exquisite eyes. Although she had promised herself not to let him get under her skin, there was no escaping from him whether she wanted to or not. He was the reason Sasuke was killed, but she couldn't stop this situation from unfolding itself.

"_Itachi likes you. And if you're completely honest with yourself… You know that the feeling is mutual."_

Wordlessly, he stood up and turned around to leave.

"Why?"

He whirled around to face Sakura again. Her eyes were fixed on him and it seemed that she was on the verge of crying. Strangely enough, he was somewhat affected by the thought of her tears. He had seen many people pathetically weeping in his life, but never before did emotions bubble up inside of him because of it.

Needless to say, he would keep this to himself.

"Why what?" his insipid response came.

"Why…everything?" she was sobbing by now. "Why can you be so caring yet so dangerous at times? Why do you know which flowers I like best while Deidara has no idea? … Why are you the only one who truly understands me?"

"What is it that you want from me Sakura?" Itachi asked quietly as he ignored her tears. "I do not understand what you wish from me."

"I know," she answered cryptically as she tried to dry her eyes. Crying made her look weak in front of him. "I know it's not your fault. Sasuke went to Orochimaru… If he hadn't gone away…none of this would have happened."

"But still, you blame me," Itachi's voice drifted through the room. Curiously, it calmed her to hear the velvetiness of his voice. Since she had found Sasuke, she was sure that nothing could in still tranquillity in her again. But _he_ could.

"Because I killed my clan," Itachi added calmly.

"It's the reason why Sasuke went to Orochimaru in the first place," she wiped away the stray tears from her cheeks. "You don't know him like I used to. He was strong and kind, even if he didn't show it. Deep down, he had always looked up to you Itachi."

She hesitated for a moment, contemplating if she should go on, or stop her flow of words right there. Sasuke may have been dead, but she certainly knew that he would be turning in his grave if he could hear what she was saying to Itachi now.

"I know," his soft voice dragged her from her thoughts.

"I'll be sleeping in this room tonight," Itachi said after a short pause, changing the subject abruptly.

Her eyes widened yet a part of her wasn't as surprised. Sasori and Deidara shared a room, since the both of them were partners, and she had expected Itachi to sleep in the same room as Kisame, since she was no longer a hostage of Akatsuki. So he wouldn't have any legitimate reason to sleep in the same room as her; if she escaped it was no skin off his back. Then again, did he ever have a reason for something like this?

"Kisame snores," Itachi answered her unspoken question without even a hint of amusement in his voice; Sakura watching in silence how Itachi strode out of the room and closed the door behind him.

She snorted softly and quickly realized that this was the closest she had come to laughter for quite some time.

---------------------

"Did you get her, Itachi?" Deidara called out to the younger shinobi.

Itachi appeared in the hallway, his empty look replaced by a questioning one. "Get her?"

"Dinner, Itachi. Dinner," Deidara smirked. He sounded so convincingly happy that he nearly fooled himself. "Don't tell me Kisame forgot to tell you that you should tell her that we're about to eat."

Itachi just raised an eyebrow and watched how the shark-man hit Deidara on his head. "Stop talking in such confusing sentences, you're giving me a headache," Kisame growled viciously.

"You're probably still feeling the after-effects of the Mangekyou Sharingan," Sasori appeared next to Kisame. "Why don't you let the medic look at it?"

"I don't want to bother her now…" Kisame's voice trailed off. Deidara chuckled slightly, before poking the taller man's stomach with his elbow.

"Kisame is such a sentimental dork… yeah! How did they accept you into Akatsuki?" Deidara's smirk broadened as he continued his assault on Kisame. "I bet you sing bedtime stories for Sakura too!"

"I should hope not," a soft voice answered amusedly. The four Akatsuki members turned around and faced Sakura in the threshold. "I don't think that Kisame is the world's best singer."

"You too, huh?" Kisame growled and turned around to hide his grin. "I'll be in the dining room."

"We haven't been properly introduced," Sasori took a step forward and smiled softly. "I'm Sasori, the puppet master."

Behind Sasori's back, she could see Deidara imitating Sasori's introduction to a less than amused Itachi. Itachi turned around without saying anything and walked into the dining room. Deidara gave an encouraging nod before following Itachi's example.

"Haruno Sakura, from Konoha," she replied politely as she shook Sasori's hand. There was a certain aura around him, similar to Itachi's: it was somewhat soothing, but then again, also had a dangerous edge that Deidara and Kisame lacked since she got to know them better.

"Am I frightening you?" Sasori spoke up softly.

"No," she replied, fascinated how a man of Sasori's caliber could look as angelic as he did. "I was just lost in thought."

Sasori nodded before turning around. "Let's go, Deidara ordered some food for us all."

Sakura nodded and without dawdling, followed Sasori into the dining room.

As she closed the door behind her, she instantly recognized the usual paper bag with the familiar symbol on the table; they undoubtedly contained their dinner.

"Do you always order from this company?" she asked curiously as she sat down beside Deidara. Sasori and Kisame were sitting opposite of them and at the head of the small table sat Itachi.

"Yeah," Deidara replied. "These guys have establishments all over the world. Plus, their food is really good. And they serve sushi, Itachi's favorite. And fish, which happens to be Kisame's favorite… see? … yeah."

Grinning wildly, he pointed at Kisame, who was practically drooling at the sight of a large salmon in front of him.

"Now, that's the reason why I call him 'Salmon-chan'… yeah," Deidara chuckled before handing Kisame a knife. "Now remember Salmon-chan. Fish are friends, not food."

Kisame glared at Deidara for a moment, before snatching the knife out of the blonde's hand. She could feel Deidara shaking next to her and from the looks of it, he was trying everything he could to stifle his laughter.

He pressed the bag into Sakura's hands before taking a sip of his water. Sakura smiled feebly before she took a peek into the bag. One set of sushi and rice balls; definitely for Itachi, a huge box of takoyaki; possibly Sasori's, a large cup with the kanji for 'Miso' on it; unquestionably Deidara's. And one cup of ramen, which was probably for her.

She smiled as she handed Itachi, Sasori and Deidara their food, before taking the lid of her ramen. She eyed the substance warily, knowing about the dangers of the food that they could carry with them.

"Don't worry," Deidara gave her a reassuring smile. "There's nothing in there, Sasori and I already checked."

She gave her usual small turn of the lips in return before grabbing her chopsticks from their holder, grinning as Deidara cracked another joke, but completely unaware of the fixed gaze that Itachi was giving her.

_She's faking her smile._

Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly before he mimicked Sakura's moves and started to eat. He would talk to her about the matter later.

--------------------------

"Good night," Deidara waved cheerfully as he closed his bedroom door behind him. Once the door was completely shut and the only one in his room was Sasori, his grin quickly disappeared.

"Did you see that?" Deidara asked worriedly as he sat down on the bed.

"Her cheerfulness is not sincere," Sasori remarked softly. "Much like yourself."

"They are completely different circumstances," Deidara shot back. "You can't even begin to compare... yeah."

"Yes, but the obviousness of her act is just as apparent as yours," Sasori stated calmly. "She has just lost the so-called love of her life. Of course she'll be sad. She is a kunoichi who is driven by emotions, rather than her own power."

"Since when do you know this much about girls… yeah?" Deidara gave his partner a scrutinizing stare.

"Since reading people is an art," Sasori replied steadily, a smile plastered on his face.

"Oh really?" Deidara laughed softly. "What happened to 'art is eternal beauty, something that lasts forever'… yeah?"

"Shut up," Sasori growled as he turned around.

"I won this round," Deidara answered triumphantly.

"I said shut up," Sasori repeated, his collected tone substituted by an irritated one.

"Grump," Deidara stuck his tongue out.

------------------------

"You can take the bed," Sakura said before Itachi could even utter a single word. "I don't feel like fighting over trivial things like that. But please turn around for a moment, I need to undress."

Noiselessly, Itachi turned around, taking off his own shirts and throwing it on a chair in the process. Removing his sandals and leg-guards, he sat down on the bed. "Why are you pretending to be over Sasuke's death?"

The ruffling of her clothes stopped and it didn't take his genius intellect for him to figure out that she was staring at him, wondering how he could solve her so effortlessly.

"So you knew?" her soft voice wafted across the room. She couldn't say she was taken aback; she knew he would be the one to find her out.

"Of course," Itachi answered plainly. "I would pity anyone who didn't notice."

Ignoring his last statement, Sakura grabbed one of the long, black shirts that Deidara had left for her earlier and lied down on the soft couch, wrapping herself in the blanket that had been let there for her before turning her back towards Itachi. She could hear his soft breathing and knew he was waiting for an answer.

"I didn't want everybody to be worried about me," she whispered softly.

Apparently, Itachi thought her answer was acceptable as he turned off the lights. She could hear him settle down on the bed and twisted her head around to glimpse at his still form. He didn't ask her to share the bed nor did he decline when she offered the bed to him. Any other person would immediately give the bed to the female, but Itachi wasn't like that.

Feeling a strange kind of affection for the elder shinobi, she smiled sadly. "Goodnight Itachi."

It was indifferent and barely audible, but it was there.

"Goodnight Sakura."

-------------------------

_**A/N: **Wow, hard chapter to finish. So, Naruto found out about Sasuke's death, and is presuming that Sakura died as well in the explosion! Is this the end for the Konoha team? Will they go back? Yes, they will._

_Itachi seems to be opening up slightly, don't you think? I still think everything is going at a steady pace and I still like the ItaSakuDei thing._

_A big thank you to Stem for being such a wonderful beta-reader! Thanks for everything!_

_See you next time!_

-- MitsukiShiroi


	6. Chapter 6

**Evolution – An Itachi & Sakura story.**  
**By****: Mitsuki Shiroi**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

_**A/N: **Tissue and smut alert! Haha, enjoy the chapter! Dedicated to blackbloodedkunoichi, my little sister!_

**Chapter Six – Something Unexpected**

"_Sorry Sakura… But Sasuke hasn't been here for a long time."_

Green eyes shot open into dizzy consciousness; the feeling of asphyxiation overwhelming her, forcing her to frantically gulp for sweet relief. Her heart was beating erratically - almost as if it were trying to drill a hole through her chest - and she was drenched in her own sweat. The large black shirt that served as her night clothes was like a second skin and her hair transformed into a damp and stringy style; sticking to her slick forehead and cheeks. Harsh breathing continued as she tried to pull herself together; taking in the large bed and the cosmos flowers.

_Deidara's house… I'm in Deidara's house… Itachi is lying in the bed. Orochimaru isn't here._

_Sasuke-kun isn't here…_

Fighting back the sensation of tears, she sat up and callously rubbed her eyes, sneering as her hand wiped away more sweat than tears. Glancing at the bed, she could hear Itachi's slow, steady breathing. But she knew better; she had woken him up with her outburst. Itachi wasn't a heavy sleeper, on the contrary, he was in tune to the sounds around him; trained to wake at the sound of a falling needle.

"Itachi…" she whispered softly, knowing that he would hear her.

She heard him shuffle around in the bed slightly, signifying that he had heard her. Gathering all of her courage, and throwing away any ounce of dignity she had at the moment, she threw her legs over the edge of her couch and stood up once she felt the soft carpet tickling her feet. Gently, she padded towards the bed, making sure that he could hear her.

She hesitated momentarily as she stopped in front of the bed. His back was turned to her and to anyone else, he seemed peacefully asleep. "Itachi?"

"What is it?" His deep voice made her shiver. She grabbed her shirt, clasping it in her hands as she bit her lip in pure frustration. If he were Deidara, this would be so much easier. Without saying a word, Itachi turned around, her breath catching as his bottomless, scarlet eyes gazed upon her.

"Can I…." she started, unable to hide the small quiver in her voice. "Can I sleep in the bed tonight?"

The intense gleam in his eyes refused to wane as he gave her a scrutinizing stare. Wordlessly, he sat up straight, before removing the heavy duvet from his legs. He stood up without even so much as a glance in her direction and moved to pass her.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks as he turned around to face her. His face was a rigid void, as he gazed at her attempt to stop the tears from spilling over her cheeks; her lithe hand holding his wrist in an unyielding grip.

"Don't go," she said quietly, her eyes downcast, avoiding the cold look in his eyes.

"You asked for the bed," Itachi replied languidly as his hand moved forward and cupped her chin. Gently, he tilted her head so that he could see her eyes. "Which is it? Do you want me to leave or do you want me to stay? The decision is yours."

"Then stay," she whispered, blushing faintly as she forced herself to look him in the eye.

She stepped back slowly, releasing his wrist before she turned her back towards him, making her way towards the bed. She didn't know if he would follow or turn away, but she had made her point clear.

_I'm sorry Sasuke…_

She crawled underneath the blankets, inhaling Itachi's addicting scent before scooting over to the other side of the bed, leaving enough room for Itachi to enter the bed if he wanted to.

She took in a calming breath as she felt the bed dip with his weight. "You accepted Sasuke's death and stopped blaming me for it," Itachi stated, his voice as flaccid as ever. Dimly she wondered if he would even be able to raise his voice even if he tried.

"Yes," her voice no more than a hollow whisper. She heard him shift around next to her and turned around. He had his back facing her, lying on top of the sheets, exposing his well defined back.

She swallowed hard as she closed her eyes. There was no doubt in her mind that a part of her wanted to be near Itachi at all times. She was longing for him to wrap her in his arms again, but the more she thought about it, the feelings of guilt swarmed her. This was wrong. This was Sasuke's brother.

But Sasuke was gone.

_He just wanted me to be happy, _Sakura reasoned. _Would he hate me if I had feelings for his brother?_

She didn't know.

Opening her eyes, she gave Itachi's back one last searching stare before moving forward, letting her fingers skim his back. Immediately, she felt the rigid muscles under the heated skin tense. Biting her lip, she silently wondered if she had done the right thing.

Perhaps this was just a one-sided thing and Deidara was wrong.

"If…" she started, not really knowing what to say. "If you don't want this… You can push me away. It's your decision."

A long, taut pause passed by and to her surprise, she could gradually feel his muscles relaxing under her touch. Nevertheless, when he finally spoke, she couldn't help but feel scared.

"What is _this_, Sakura?" he asked curiously.

"I… I don't know," she said quietly as she unconsciously stroked Itachi's warm skin with her thumbs. She was intrigued by the way his muscles flexed under her touch. When Itachi made no movement to stop her, her right hand crept over his side and before resting on his sculpted pectoral.

The warmth he radiated felt pleasant against her cold skin and she slowly scooted closer towards him. She took in a deep breath to take in his unique scent as she pressed her forehead against his back. "Do you want to push me away?" she queried softly, her arm dropping down to his waist, instinctively pulling him closer towards her.

"I'm not a substitute for Sasuke, Sakura," Itachi's whispered back. Sakura flinched as the full meaning of those words hit her. Her grip on his waist lessened as she tried to quell the emotions he inspired with those severe words.

"I know. I don't want you to be a substitute for Sasuke," Sakura sat up straight, her arm still wrapped around his waist. "I just wanted you to stay…"

When Itachi said nothing in return, Sakura lied down again, sighing heavily. The atmosphere had changed rapidly with his last remark; whereas it was relaxed and inviting earlier, the room felt acerbic now. Eyeing her arms, she could see goose bumps appearing on her pale skin.

Her arm snapped back as realization hit: she was still touching his abdomen. She moved away from the heat that he radiated, to the far side of the bed before resting her head on her pillow, wrapping herself in the blankets in a feeble attempt to warm herself.

All of a sudden, fatigue overcame her senses and coerced a yawn out of her. Soon she didn't have the strength to keep her eyes open. Then she was gone.

----------------------------

Her eyes burned with unshed tears as she opened her eyes several hours later. Another nightmare about Sasuke. With a dejected sigh, she rubbed her eyes gingerly as she yawned widely. It wasn't until she felt something shift next to her in the bed that she realized that _he _was still there.

She bolted upright as she glanced at the dormant Uchiha. She hadn't expected him to remain there. To be perfectly honest; she had thought he would leave as soon as she fell asleep.

Her gaze softened as she noticed that his hair had come loose during his sleep, falling around his face in an impeccable manner. His eyes were closed to the world; long lashes casting dark shadows against his cheek. Peculiarly, his face looked more relaxed when he was asleep, or at least feigning sleep, than when he was awake.

She took in the lines on his face that betrayed his youth; how did he get those lines? Tentatively, she curiously stretched out her hand to trace them. When her fingertips were just a hair width away from his face, ruby eyes snapped open. Shocked, she hastily recoiled her hand; etched alarm on her face.

"I'm sorry," she stammered as she felt a hot blush creeping up her cheeks.

"There's no need to apologize," he answered plainly. Casually, he brushed some of the stray bangs in front of his eyes as he turned to lie on his back.

"Why are you still here?" Sakura peeked at the elder shinobi before averting her gaze to the windows, admiring the soft white clouds and the clear blue sky.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You're always gone in the mornings," Sakura clarified.

Itachi nodded slowly, "I am."

"Why?" Finding some small inner strength, she tore her fixed eyes away from the window and faced the man that lied beside her, resting comfortably with his hand propped under his head.

"You're asking many questions this morning," Itachi remarked evenly as he locked eyes with her. His Sharingan was captivating as it was treacherous, but she found herself unable to look away, not that she was really exerting a proper amount of effort.

_Is this an illusion?_

In a trance-like state, she watched Itachi stretch his arm to caress her cheek. His skin felt sweltering against her wintry cheeks but they warmed up soon enough as Itachi cupped her cheek, thumb stroking her soft flesh.

As she shut her eyes she felt him hesitate. It was the first time that she knew exactly what he was doing and she couldn't help but smile slightly. Sakura reopened her eyes before lifting her hand to cup his; a silent confirmation for him to continue his tender brushes.

Wordlessly, Itachi moved in closer towards her, his hand moving down to her neck as his balmy breath fanned over her skin. Breathing throatily, awaiting his touch in anticipation, she wrapped her arms around his neck. She ran her fingers through his silky hair, clenching it softly as his lips finally made the much desired contact with her skin.

Tipping her neck gently, he continued his assault on her delicate skin, his hand wandering towards the small of her back as he pulled her closer towards him. Sakura whimpered softly as his lips trailed a way towards her jaw. His scent was intoxicating, scrambling her wits; an aroma she couldn't get enough of. She gasped softly as his teeth softly nipped her earlobe, amazed at how good it felt.

"Itachi…" she whispered, her head inclining with sensation as he moved back down to her throat, pressing his lips against her jugular. His hand moved under her oversized black shirt as he started to stroke the small of her back, just a hair away from indecency.

Their moment was rudely interrupted as a loud knock on the door stopped Itachi's movements and Sakura's small gasps. Abruptly, Itachi let her go, sliding over the bed with certain ease until he stood next to the bed. He strode towards the door and narrowed his eyes slightly as he felt Sakura disappearing from the room through the window.

He turned around to glare at the innocent window, before he moved his hand over the polished doorknob and opened the door, revealing the rude perpetrator.

"Yo," Deidara greeted, his trademark smile plastered on his lips. "Zetsu just informed us that we have to report to headquarters separately, it seems Leader wants to know each of our stories… yeah"

Itachi nodded slowly, "Who is first?"

"I am… yeah," Deidara snorted. "Somehow I get the feeling that the Leader won't like it when I tell him how Orochimaru nearly killed me. If Sakura didn't jump in front of me… yeah."

Itachi blinked slowly as he tried to digest the information offered. Sakura jumped in front of Deidara? His eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly as he glanced at the elder shinobi in front of him.

"I'm off," Deidara nodded. "Oh, Sasori will be gone too, said he had some business. And give Salmon-chan a break, okay? Let him drink some sake or something, he looks worn out… yeah."

"He should bear with it," Itachi replied simply. He nodded curtly as a goodbye before turning around.

Deidara glanced at the younger shinobi, irritation apparent in his eyes. Sighing slightly, he closed the door again before stalking away. "Grump."

-----------------------------

"His knuckles were bleeding severely and," Tsunade's voice sounded like music to his ears as he opened his sleep-ridden eyes. "You're awake. Good."

The smell of cool, impersonal sterility and disinfectants alerted him to his surroundings long before his eyes did. He was in the Konoha hospital, in fact he was in the very same bed he had occupied when Sasuke had injured him; in the bed where Sasuke challenged him to a fight on the rooftop.

His vision was unfocused but he could clearly make out Tsunade hovering over him. "Tsunade-baa-chan," he whispered.

"I'm here Naruto. Can you tell me what happened? When you were brought in here by Kakashi, you're knuckles were bleeding; the bones in both hands were almost shattered, and covered in dust and grain," Tsunade replied, giving the young man on the bed a worried look.

"Naruto," a soft voice sounded from his right. Ignoring Tsunade, he turned his head slightly, disregarding the stabbing pain in his head and faced the one who had called him.

There she was; still the radiating beauty he remembered. Her luminous pink hair was reminiscent of a halo, accentuated by the bright rays of the afternoon sun; giving her an unearthly quality. Her eyes though, oh her eyes were breathtaking! The emerald green danced with life and laughter; shimmered with compassion and shrewdness. Although denial had become his best friend since he returned, he was still infatuated with her. It would never come to fruition though, since she was completely devoted to Sasuke and would never stop loving him, of that he was sure.

But here she was and he thought she had died. He had almost given up hope as he cried on Neji's shoulder, before running towards the ruins of Sound in blind fury. With bare hands, he tried to fight a way through the rubble and caved in walls, trying to find her. He vaguely remembered someone stopping him although he could not remember who.

"Sakura-chan," he said quietly as a smile bloomed on his lips. With the greatest of effort, he lifted his arm as he tried to caress her cheek. But she disappeared.

His eyes widened in shock before he bolted upright, startling Tsunade. "Where is she?" he demanded coarsely. The shock in his eyes shifted into sadness. "Where did she go?"

"She's gone Naruto," Tsunade put a hand on his shoulder. "Sakura is gone."

Naruto paid no attention to Tsunade as he unwrapped himself from the blankets. Soundlessly, he picked up his ANBU vest that lounged on a nearby chair, before sliding his feet into his sandals. Tsunade said nothing as Naruto passed her, looking straight head and still keeping his peace.

"How long have I been asleep," Naruto asked calmly, mildly surprised how aloof and level-headed he sounded.

"A week," Tsunade sighed heavily. "Naruto I…"

When she turned around, he was gone.

------------------------------

"_Have you heard Tooya? Your mother is expecting a second child! It should be a relief to her; at least now she can die with the knowledge that not all her children will be monsters."_

He clenched his teeth, trying to stop the memories of his childhood from lingering; in the effort, he was almost sure he chipped a tooth.

"Tooya," a soft voice called him. Immediately he identified the voice as his partner; Kira.

"What?" he asked impatiently. They had been roaming around the Country of Wind for a few days now and every one of those days Kira bugged him about ending his search for the Kyuubi. There was no doubt in his mind that whatever Kira had to say would be connected to his goal.

"Akatsuki raid in Sound," Kira explained hastily. "Tooya, they set your family free."

"They're alive?" his clear eyes widened slightly.

"Yeah, apparently so," a smile broke through the blonde man's lips. "Let's visit them, one of our ANBU just reported that they're in Stone."

"No," Tooya replied easily. "As long as this three tailed Isonade is inside of me, I won't visit them. I want to reach my goal before I see them again."

Kira nodded understandingly, "Where are we going now?"

"You've ceased your futile attempts to stop me?" Tooya asked curiously.

Kira smirked before putting his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Although you might not consider me as one, I'm still your friend. If wanting to find the Kyuubi is your goal, then so be it. I'll be by your side when you meet him."

"Your loyalty is admirable," the black-haired man replied, returning the smirk.

"And foolish," Kira snorted slightly before putting his ANBU mask back into place.

"Very foolish," Tooya's smirk broadened as he mimicked Kira's gesture. "Let's go."

"Yes sir," Kira murmured sarcastically as the both of them vanished into thin air. Then they were gone.

--------------------

She hummed softly as she looked over Deidara's small garden, deliberately blocking out the memories of Itachi kissing her. The soft sound of the bamboo fountain in his garden soothed her momentarily, reminding her of Konoha. Sea-foam eyes turned despondent as she thought about her village.

_I'm sure Naruto has completely flipped by now, _she smiled at the thought of her blonde best friend. _Tsunade-shisou will be angry…_

Quietly, she watched the clear water from Deidara's fountain trickle into the bamboo, before the bamboo clapped down on the rocks, letting the water fall down into the small pond underneath the stones. As soon as all the water had flown out of the bamboo, it went back up and the circle continued.

_It's just like our lives, _she thought ironically. _We try to hold on to everything that comes our way and at some point, we need to let go, whether we want to or not. After that, we try to fill the void and the cycle continues._

The dulcet jingling sound of bells woke her up from her reverie, Deidara stood in front of her, clad in his complete Akatsuki uniform. His straw hat was in his hands and unusually serious expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked immediately, eyeing his look warily.

"I need to report at Akatsuki headquarters, nothing to worry about," Deidara tried to smile, but Sakura saw through his deceit.

"You're lying," she pointed out the obvious.

"So I am," Deidara nodded in response, his usual 'yeah' absent from his speech.

"Where are you going?" she asked again.

"Akatsuki headquarters," Deidara answered simply. "I need to report to the Leader… yeah."

Sakura stood up as Deidara took a step backwards. "There's something you're not telling me," she remarked as her green eyes narrowed.

"It's likely that I won't live through this encounter," Deidara replied seriously.

"What are you talking about?" Sakura's brows furrowed as she stepped closer to the blonde shinobi. "What do you mean?"

"Akatsuki does not need anyone who isn't strong enough to handle a Jinchuuriki," Deidara explained patiently. "And yet I was nearly killed by Orochimaru and to top it off, you jumped in front of him." Although he tried to hide it, the bitterness in his voice was still apparent.

"But Kisame…" she whispered as she desperately sought for a solution. When she jumped in front of Deidara, she did it with the intention to kill Orochimaru and save Deidara. She had no idea that it might bring Deidara in danger.

"Different," Deidara half-smirked. "Kisame was hit by the Mangekyou Sharingan and unable to fight back. Itachi can explain the consequences after facing that attack; Kisame had a perfectly good reason why he was knocked out by Orochimaru. I don't."

"Orochimaru was strong," she said quietly as she took another step into his direction. This time, she was so close to him that she could almost feel his warmth radiating from his body. "There's no way that any of you could have escaped without injury in that fight."

"There is," Deidara answered sourly. "If Leader had put in Itachi instead of me in the team, as originally planned, all of this would have been a piece of cake. Orochimaru feared Itachi while he was alive, that's why he left Akatsuki in the first place."

Sakura's locks served as an emotional shield when she tipped her head down in desolation. Her eyes followed the lines of the clouds on Deidara's robes, not wanting to look him in the eye. It was her fault that his life was at stake now. But as if he could read her mind, Deidara's hand moved to her chin, cupping it gently as he tilted her face to meet his eyes.

"Look at me, Sakura," he instructed quietly.

Her eyes travelled up to meet his as his arms wrapped around her waist in an intimate hug. Sighing heavily, she could feel her eyes stinging with tears as she grabbed a handful of his cloak, clinging on to it for dear life. She didn't want to let him go. If he left, he might never come back.

Like Sasuke.

"Deidara," she whispered against the soft, black and red fabric. His grip on her waist lessened and for a moment, she was afraid that he was leaving her right then and there. But when his soft, full lips pressed against her forehead, she exhaled in relief.

She had to let go; he had to go.

So she let him go.

With pain in her heart, she unwrapped her hands from his robes, tears now flowing freely down her cheeks and onto the ground. She bit her lip in cruel defeat but her helplessness quickly faded as she felt his lips on her cheek, then on the corner of her eye.

He was kissing her tears away.

Stunned, she took a harsh indrawn breath, closing her eyes in heartache. She needed to say goodbye; this was no time for crying.

When she opened her eyes, he was gone.

----------------------------------

His long, calloused fingers traced the newly imprinted characters that represented the names of his best friends.

_Uchiha Sasuke_

He gritted his teeth unkindly as he tried to fight back his tears.

"_What do you want, idiot?"_

He could still recall the way his voice sounded whenever he tried to insult Naruto. Deep and smooth; one of the qualities that Naruto admired about Sasuke was definitely his voice, although he never said anything of the sort to him. But since his childhood, he had wished for such a voice, a voice that could sweep Sakura off her feet.

"_I don't ever want to see anyone precious to me die again."_

He took in a deep, shaky breath as he tried to stop his tears, but to no avail. There was no stopping them now.

"_You, who had no parents or siblings from the start… You without any ties to anyone… How could someone like you understand me!"_

"I understand Sasuke," he sobbed softly as his fingertips gently traced the outline of Sasuke's name. "I know what it is to lose someone close to me…"

"_To me… You have become my closest friend…"_

"_Naruto… I want to fight you as well."_

"Sasuke…" he whispered as he balled his fist. "Sakura-chan…"

"_Naruto… This will be the only thing I'll ever ask of you… Bring Sasuke-kun back! I wasn't enough… And I know that you're the only one who can bring him back… Who can save him!"_

Burying his fingers in his blonde hair, he stared at the name of his only female friend.

"_Ne, Naruto. I believe you now… I thought it was some stupid dream you had, about becoming the next Hokage, but I know you can do it."_

"I'll become the next Hokage," Naruto whispered as he placed his hand against the cold stone of the memorial. "I'll become the next Hokage, because the two of you believed in me."

Because the two of you believed in me.

Because the three of us are one.

------------------------------

_**A/N: **This is really hard to say, but I cried during the last paragraphs. Haha, weird huh?_

_A huge thanks to Stem for being my beta reader!_

_For the ones who don't remember Tooya and Kira; they were the two Mist nins from Metamorphosis! Yeah, the hunters of the kyuubi and the hunted ones of Deidara and Sasori._

_What about Deidara? I don't know, we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?_

_See you next time!_

_-- MitsukiShiroi_


	7. Chapter 7

**Evolution – An Itachi & Sakura story.**  
**By: Mitsuki Shiroi**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

**_A/N: _**_I really, really dislike transitional chapters, and this one can definitely be considered one, although I think I filled it up pretty nicely._

_(Off-topic note) It's my birthday today, hooray!_

_Anyway, enjoy reading!_

**Chapter Seven – Unwelcome Surprise**

His scent was easily recognizable, a sweet combination of refreshing sandalwood and forest; truly an addicting aroma. One that reminded her of Sasuke. Idly she realized that the two brothers almost smelled the same, but each carried a distinct tang that was only theirs.

Brushing a few stray bangs of bubblegum hair out of her eyes, she tensed as he sat down next to her, his hands folded and comfortably resting on top of his stomach, casually letting his gaze wander through Deidara's garden. Gradually, she allowed herself to relax as she leaned back, letting out a small sigh.

"Did Deidara leave already?" Itachi's smooth voice drifted through the air as he glanced at Sakura.

"Yes," she confirmed quietly, eyes saddening as she thought about her comrade and his impending fate.

She said nothing more as she watched the small bamboo fountain, closing her eyes to block out everything but the soft sounds of the water. She smiled sadly as she thought back about Konoha; Ino had a fountain similar to this one in her garden. They used to play there all the time, picking flowers from the garden, making flower chains and working on their flower arranging until dark. And she would be so exhausted by that time that Ino's father would give her a piggyback ride back home.

"Itachi…" she started, fighting back her tears as she thought back how Ino always waved at her when she was leaving. "Do you ever miss Konoha?"

"No," he said simply, not a trace of nostalgia in his tone.

"I see," she said quietly, hugging her knees.

The sun was starting to set; brilliant red and orange beams of light illuminating the calm water in the pond, reflecting on the decorative stones in the water. Sakura smiled contently as she watched the water trickle down the stones as the bamboo clapped down on top of them. It was one of the most tranquil things she had ever seen.

Unaware of Itachi's gaze, Sakura stood up and walked towards the small pond; crouching down while she kept her gaze on the ambient lights in the water. His eyes thinned almost imperceptibly as he watched her. Her smile was as bright as the stars twinkling in the night sky in the honeymoon suite, when she was standing on the balcony.

"It's beautiful here," she said softly, the smile still adorning her lips. She was enjoying the simple, yet appealing scenery in front of her, and as Itachi moved his gaze away from Sakura's still form towards the multi-colored water and the bamboo fountain he was fond of, he silently agreed.

"There's one place in Konoha that I loved most," Sakura said slowly. "It's a small river at the end of the forest, near the gates. It was surrounded with the most beautiful flowers I had ever seen. Simple, I know, but marvelously beautiful."

Itachi nodded slowly as he stood up and walked towards her. He knew that spot, he had trained there many times before and after Sasuke had been born. It truly was an enchanting place; the wind howled through the thick foliage and the delicate flowers as the river traveled unhurriedly through the area, catching renegade leaves and natural debris.

"What's your favorite place in Konoha?" Sakura asked quietly as she glanced at him, wondering if he would answer the question.

She figured that the question was inappropriate when he remained silent for a long time. In order to answer her question, he would have to give her a piece of his past, something he was more than reluctant to share; that much was clear already.

Mentally berating herself for making such a foolish mistake, to think that he would ever open up to her, her smile faded as she stood up once the sun had completely disappeared from the horizon.

"I'm sorry," she apologized softly.

"The same as yours."

"The same as mine?" Sakura queried curiously as she whirled around to face Itachi's back. It took her a moment to figure out what he had meant, but when it finally clicked that he had actually answered her question, a smile bloomed on her lips. Satisfied with the turn of events, she turned around to leave, but yet again, his words stopped her.

"There's no need to leave," Itachi said evenly as he sat down on the ground. Green eyes widened as she turned around, a searching stare drifted over his back, before she cautiously took a step forward. When he did nothing, she sat down next to him; his eyes never focused on her form.

"Can you tell me more about your childhood?" Sakura was careful not to press the subject. The last thing she wanted was to stop him from talking at all. She gave him a thoughtful stare as she refrained herself from commenting, wondering what had happened in his youth. Why he killed his clan—his family.

"I was born and I murdered my clan thirteen years later, there's nothing more to tell," Itachi said as he rested his arm on top of his knee. Sakura stared at him, looking for any signs of emotion on his face, but it was as uniform as always.

"There's always more to tell," Sakura coaxed, unwilling to let the subject go. She had already given so much of her; it was time for Itachi to give some of him as well… If he was willing.

She shook her head slowly, "There's no need to tell me now, but just tell me about _you_ one day. I want to be able to understand you."

Although she knew that she would never be able to fully comprehend him, she looked him in the eye, awaiting his reply. When none came, Sakura averted her eyes dejectedly, picking a small flower that grew near her feet. She touched the silky petals carefully, savoring in the feel of the texture under her fingertips.

"Why do you wear that ring?" she asked conversationally as she glanced at his scarlet ring.

"It's a requirement for Akatsuki," he answered without hesitation, as if he knew that she would ask him that sooner or later.

"Can I see it?" She felt like a curious six-year old, asking all these inane questions. Surprisingly, Itachi said nothing as he calmly slid the ring of his finger, before handing it to Sakura.

"Scarlet," she read out loud as she admiring the black kanji in the center of the red. "Why scarlet?"

"It's the color of Konoha," Itachi replied.

"Deidara wears yellow… Does that mean that Stone is yellow?" she asked curiously.

He nodded curtly. "Kisame has blue for Mist, Zetsu green for Grass and Sasori brown for Sand."

"Why are you wearing correspondent colors, if you have cut all of your bonds to Konoha?" she resumed her inquiry, sliding the ring over her finger before admiring it in the dim moonlight.

"It's a reminder," Itachi blinked slowly before continuing. "In every country of the Akatsuki members, there is one bijuu. As long as the bijuu in one's country isn't captured, one shouldn't take the ring off."

"Sasori isn't wearing his ring… Is it because the Shukaku was extracted from Gaara?" she pondered out loud.

Itachi nodded before standing up, casually brushing the stray grass from his cloak. "Kisame is back with the food."

Sakura mimicked Itachi's movement and stood up as well, "Wait, Itachi, your ring."

She slid the cold, circular band from her finger before thrusting her hand towards him. He eyed the ring for a moment, before turning around. "You can have it," he answered in that deep voice of his, before striding towards the main house, leaving Sakura behind.

As soon as Itachi disappeared through the door, Sakura shyly put the ring back onto her finger, smiling softly before following Itachi into the main house.

-------------------------

She entered the room quickly, sliding the shoji screen shut behind her and took a seat next to Sasori, opposite to Itachi. Upon seeing Sasori, something clicked in her mind. "Is Deidara still gone?" she asked worriedly as she glanced at the shinobi.

"Yes," Sasori smiled as he brushed strands of hair out of his eyes. "It takes two days for the journey to the headquarters and back. The soonest Deidara could be back would be tomorrow night."

"Will your leader…" she swallowed hard, trying to ease the huge lump in her throat. "Will your leader kill him?"

"Perhaps," Kisame growled, answering for Sasori. "Sasori and I both have our opinions on the matter though; I don't think he will be killing Deidara so soon."

She let a small sigh out of relief, glad that there was some reassurance that Deidara wouldn't die. A smile played on her lips as she grabbed the bag of food, grabbing her cup of ramen before passing it on to Sasori.

"You were worried," Sasori remarked as he opened his carton before throwing a little bit of his food in the can of water that stood in the middle of the table. Satisfied when the color didn't change – a sign that the food hadn't been tampered with - Sasori picked up his chopsticks before glancing at Sakura. "You like Deidara very much, do you not?"

Sasori resisted the urge to smirk into Itachi's direction. Although Itachi was an impenetrable fortress when it came to deciphering his feelings, there were a few moments when he let his guard down and showed little emotion; such was the case at the moment.

Itachi's eyes were but slits of repressed anger as he body emitted a dangerous wave of chakra. Funny though, how Sasori was the only one who could read others, thanks to his unique ability. Kisame wasn't noticing anything at all, despite the half-shark not being as dense as one might think. Sakura on the other hand was a clever kunoichi, but she too was left in the dark. For some odd reason, the girl's attention was solely on her hand.

When she finally put her hand on the table to grab her own chopsticks, he at once noticed Itachi's ring around her finger.

_My, my, what an interesting development, _Sasori smiled in amusement as he glanced at Itachi. _Deidara has some competition alright and it seems that the victor has already been decided._

"Kisame," he called out softly. "Can you pass me the soy-sauce?"

Kisame grunted in response as he handed the small, black bottle. Sasori accepted it with yet another smile and shared a light conversation with the shark-man, but all the while keeping his eyes on Itachi and Sakura.

It soon became clear to him that Sakura was sneaking glimpses towards Itachi during dinner and Itachi was quite comfortable with her stare as he continued eating his sushi. Sasori half-smirked as he realized that the tension around the table was rapidly growing.

He had another mission to accomplish after dinner and he had been contemplating asking Itachi to join him on the mission now that Deidara was gone, but it seemed like a good time to leave the both of them alone for the time being.

_Now Deidara can't complain about me not having a soft side._

"Kisame, I have a mission to accomplish after dinner. Want to come?" he asked, the smile still apparent on his lips. Kisame gave another grunt in response as he dumped his empty carton in the bag they used for the trash and stood up, obviously waiting for Sasori to get up as well.

_Aren't we hasty? _Sasori resisted the urge to smirk. _I hereby revise my opinion about Kisame; he knows exactly what is going on here._

Giving a knowing smile at Kisame, he lifted his hand in a farewell, before disappearing into thin air, Kisame following him. Sakura smiled in response as she watched the two shinobi disappear from the small dining room, leaving her and Itachi behind.

"Why aren't you going on anymore missions?" she asked as she resumed eating.

"I am as soon as this has been cleared up," Itachi replied before glancing at her. "This is Sasori's mission; he is free to choose whomever he wanted to complete the mission with since Deidara is gone."

"I see," Sakura remarked, as she twirled the ring on her finger. "Don't you want to go on missions? You could have asked Sasori to go, couldn't you?" As much as she tried to hide the underlying tone, a hopeful glint was obvious in her eyes.

Itachi knew exactly where she was going with this; she was trying to provoke him, to ask if he remained there for her sake. His glance turned into a glare and she flinched at the hardened look. He didn't like it when people had certain expectations of him, whether it were things that he should accomplish or say; nobody would force him to do anything again.

So he said nothing and silently continued to eat his meal. Sakura quietly watched him, mentally admonishing herself for saying such a thing. She knew Itachi for little over two months now and slowly, she understood what things he would allow himself to talk about and which subjects were taboo in his eyes.

And as a side effect of being close to him, she had also learned about the things he liked and the things he disliked which were – unexpectedly – almost similar to Sasuke's likes and dislikes.

Sasuke liked healthy food, and so did Itachi; both were dedicated to keeping their bodies in top form. They also shared the love of the night stars; she had seen on more than one occasion, Itachi fixated on them; just like Sasuke. Sasuke and Itachi both disliked talking about their pasts and the both of them hated fermented soy beans with a deep passion. Sakura almost giggled as soon as she thought back about the time when Deidara decided to offer Itachi some beans. She had never seen a look of such profound disgust in someone's eyes that clearly, especially not in Itachi's.

But they were different in their own ways. Sasuke was prone to brooding, slouching over when sitting and walking down the road and always showed some sort of emotion; he never hid his disdain or fortitude. On the other side of the spectrum, Itachi was perpetually calculating and cold, and whether he was fighting a foe or sitting in deep contemplation, he always carried a certain pride and dignity that Sasuke lacked.

Now that she thought about it, the two brothers were similar in their own ways; yet worlds apart.

"I'm going to the village tonight," Itachi's voice awoke her from her musings. She looked up to find Itachi looking at her.

"Village?" she asked confusedly. "What village?"

"Cloud," Itachi answered as he deposited his carton in the bag. Rising from his seat, he grabbed the Akatsuki cloak that he had thrown over his chair and dressed himself quickly.

"Can I come too?" Sakura asked timidly; a small hint of hesitance in her voice. She didn't want Itachi to go away, especially not now when she was starting to understand him; if only just a little bit. She also had never been in Cloud before, this would be a perfect opportunity to see some of the village.

When the tense silence became too heavy, Sakura spoke up softly, "If you don't want me to come, you don't have to…"

"Put your cloak on," Itachi cut in quickly as he turned around and stalked towards the hall.

Inner Sakura made a small dance in her mind as she smirked broadly, before running towards her room to find her robes. Quickly, she put them on, before hurrying back towards the hallway where Itachi waited for her. Sharingan watched her every movement as she hastily slipped her sandals on. Wordlessly, he handed her a straw hat before sliding the door open.

Itachi left first, undoubtedly to check out if the perimeter was safe before they went out. Sakura padded behind him, sliding the door to Deidara's house shut and followed Itachi as soon as he started walking.

"Itachi-san? Aren't we supposed to be inconspicuous?" she said as she walked faster to meet his step. "Aren't our outfits going to rouse suspicion?"

"Cloud and Stone aren't on good terms," Itachi remarked, a little surprised that Sakura was using an honorific again. "If words get out to Stone that there are Akatsuki members here – especially Deidara – Stone would want to send out hunter-nin for us. But Cloud is against this, so if Stone decided to dispatch the ANBU forces anyway, they will go into war, which is the last thing they want to do."

"But Cloud is one of the five great shinobi countries… Why won't they send their own ANBU this way?" Sakura inquired curiously.

"Cloud has weak shinobi, none of them can match the Akatsuki members," Itachi answered. "The Daimyou of Lightning is corrupt; he's doing business with our leader. If the Raikage tried to assassinate us, the Daimyou has the power to put Cloud out of business."

"But what if the Daimyou refuses to answer to your leader's call?" She tipped her head in consideration.

"He would be a fool if he dared such a thing," Itachi said quietly. Sakura tried to look at him, but the straw hat was obscured the rest of his face.

"You would kill him?" she asked incredulously.

Surprisingly enough, Itachi laughed softly. Sakura's eyes widened at the sound; this was the first time she had ever heard him laugh.

"Our torture squad would do exactly as the name implies; torture him," Itachi replied amusedly. "Sasori has a way with human beings and poison."

"And you could use the Mangekyou Sharingan," she whispered quietly.

"Correct."

Sakura sighed heavily as she fell into step beside him, pondering over all the things he had just shared with her. During her time in Konoha, she never even gave it any thought that Akatsuki had this much power and influence. Sure enough, she knew that they were composed of nine very deadly shinobi, but to think that they had enough power to threaten a Daimyou from one of the great five shinobi countries… It was unbelievable.

_They say Akatsuki are ruthless executioners, _Sakura thought. _But aren't we all the same? Aren't we all supposed to be impassive machines trained in the art of silent killing. Isn't that why ANBU exists?_

-----------------------------

It took them one hour of complete silence to get there.

"The Raikage's headquarters should be easily spotted," he said in his soft, level voice as they entered through the gates. Surprisingly, only a fleeting look at their robes was enough for them to be granted entrance and Sakura watched in amazement how the stern guards scurried away after only glancing at their cloaks.

"Are we going to the Raikage?" Sakura tore her gaze away from the guards and stared at Itachi. "Why?"

"We're visiting the Daimyou," Itachi replied simply. "He should be in the headquarters."

"Akatsuki business?" she asked as her eyes roamed through the village. It looked just like Konoha; young children playing ninja with smiles on their faces, woman carrying large bags of food; Chuunins who shared light conversations about their recent mission.

"That's right," Itachi took his hat off, the bells attached to the hat chiming slightly.

"You're free to go wherever you want," he added after a short pause. "There's a little café in the main street. I expect you there at six o'clock."

"At six o'clock," she glanced at the large clock in the center of the square they stood on, tipping her head slightly as she narrowed her eyes. "Wait, Itachi-san. That's four hours from now!"

"You're not a part of Akatsuki, so I cannot take you with me," Itachi answered darkly before stalking off.

Sakura watched his retreating back for a moment, before she sighed faintly and took her own hat off. Smiling brightly, she starting humming softly as she made her way through the main street, oblivious to the poignant stares she got from the inhabitants of Cloud.

-------------------------

"That wasn't too hard to find," Tooya remarked squarely as he glanced at the house in front of him. Fingertips gently caressed the shoji screen before him, clear-blue eyes sharp and alert. "So this is where Deidara lives?"

"Yeah," Kira responded neutrally. "They're not here though, I can't sense their chakra signatures. Do you want me to watch the perimeter and warn you when they're near?"

"No," Tooya shook out his short black hair as he pushed the shoji screen open. "Let's check his house out. Perhaps we will find something interesting about Akatsuki."

"I'm sure the Mizukage would be happy," he spat out as an afterthought. He heard his partner chuckle behind him as he stepped inside the house, not bothering to pull his sandals off. He stalked into the house, taking his time to make as much a mess as he could.

Behind him, Kira bore a smirk on his face as he followed his partner. _That's Tooya for you, _he mused amusedly. _Although he's a grown man, he can still act like a child._

He watched as Tooya walked into one of the bedrooms. Seconds later, he reappeared, holding a red shirt in his hands that obviously belonged to a woman. As he gave the top a once over, he came to the conclusion that it was the same one that the girl – Sakura – wore when they first saw her.

"That medic from Konoha?" Kira arched his eyebrows. "Why is she still with them?"

"Beats me," Tooya grinned. "I'm sure they don't belong to Deidara though, and as long as she's still with them, it will make everything a lot easier."

"Question," Kira leaned against the small desk, letting his fingertips roam over the pastel-colored walls. "Why is the Kyuubi so interesting for you? Why not meet up with the Kazekage? He was a Jinchuuriki too."

Tooya halted his movements for a moment as he turned around to face his brown-haired companion. "That's the whole idea; Sabaku no Gaara has lost his demon. I want to meet one of my kind who still has one."

"Let's go into another room," Kira suggested after a while. Tooya curtly nodded before stalking out of the room; Kira falling into step beside him.

--------------------------------

"Damn, where did I put my wallet?" Sakura cussed softly as the salesman stared at her expectantly. Fumbling in her inside pocket instead of encountering soft fabric, she stumbled upon a small scroll.

_A scroll? How could I not have noticed it?_

Frowning slightly, she took the scroll out of her pocket before reading the bold kanji emblazoned on the parchment.

_Uchiha Itachi_

With a start, she quickly realized that she knew the handwriting; the distinctive kanji was easily recognizable; a style she had seen many times before.

_Sasuke…_

Without another word, she turned around, leaving the flabbergasted salesman behind. Her eyes stung as she traced the kanji strokes gently. Reaching a small, quiet alley, Sakura guardedly looked around before breaking the seal.

--------------------------------

**_A/N: _**_I apologize for the shortness of this chapter. I had plans to make it somewhat longer, but they fitted better in the next chapter. So, a lot of ItaSaku moments in this chapter; sadly no DeiSaku moment… I felt the need to make this chapter somewhat brighter, I'm sure some of you are getting sick of all the angst haha._

_I wanted to make another remark about the huge amount of requests I've gotten concerning a DeiSaku story. As much as I like this pairing, I'm not going to write another huge story about this couple, although I might post a one-shot about them, as a small side-story to Evolution. We shall see!_

_Thank you Stem for everything!_

_See you next time!_

_-- Mitsuki Shiroi_

_(One last question though… Is Evolution getting boring?)_


	8. Chapter 8

**Evolution – An Itachi & Sakura story.**

**By: Mitsuki Shiroi**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

**_A/N: _**_After a great remark that came from Stem, I couldn't help but laugh. She told me that DeiSaku is my Frankenstein. Perhaps she's right, before, I couldn't find any DeiSaku fics and now they're starting to come up! I'm glad to see people are giving other pairings a chance as well and that there are some who are actually inspired after reading Evolution!_

**Chapter Eight – Perceived Threats**

With trembling hands and tears clouding her vision, Sakura hastily rolled the scroll up and stuffed it her robes. Wiping away the offending droplets with the same frantic pace she had adopted, she took one last intake of air before stepping out of the alley and merging into the crowds. She could feel eyes on her, scrutinizing her hunched body as pink locks fruitlessly tried to hide red, puffy eyes. It didn't help her composure when she noticed she was still receiving some disgusted stares at her cloak.

After a period of listless wandering through the village, her earlier spirit absent, she ended up in the same place where she started; the square. Checking the large clock in the center of the square, her eyes widened slightly as she realized it was almost six o'clock and she ought to find the café Itachi was talking about. She needed to talk to him, for now that was all she wanted.

The sun had disappeared long before and the streets were now completely deserted, save for a stray cat and two children playing near a small fountain in the center of the piazza. She watched them for a moment – it was yet another sight that made her wistful with memories of her first meeting with Ino – before she remembered herself and her objective. Staring at the youngsters for just a moment longer, she turned around.

The square broke off into four other streets, three of them were small pathways that seem to lead to the residential area of the village while the last one was crowded with shops and restaurants; it was the very same road Itachi had taken to the headquarters of the Raikage. Assuming that this was the main street Itachi was talking about, she starting walking, pocketing her hands as she caressed the smooth exterior of the scroll absentmindedly.

There was only one café opened, leading her to believe that this was the same café Itachi was talking about. Taking a peek inside, she quickly noted that he was already there; his red and black cloak was easily distinguishable to her senses. Pushing the door open, she flinched as the small bell above the entrance rung and caught most of everyone's attention. Patrons and workers alike looked up from their conversations to watch the roseate kunoichi walk inside; interest and disgust alight in their gazes.

Ignoring their fixed stares, she made her way through the bar, crisscrossing around the tables and chairs before reaching the dark corner where Itachi was seated. Wordlessly, she sat down opposite of him. Before long, a very nervous man shuffled towards them, sweat gleaming on his forehead as he tried to smile politely.

"Can I get you something, madam?" he spoke up, tremors lacing each word as he held up his notepad and pencil.

"Sake please," she ordered, not caring that she was still two years too young to actually drink sake. The waiter obviously realized that she wasn't twenty yet, but nodded and headed towards the bar, whispering something to the bartender. As her gaze traveled back to Itachi, she found him looking at her, genuine interest flickering in his eyes.

"I didn't know you were twenty," he humored her. "And had such good taste too."

Sakura's eyes widened in shock; she would had never guessed Itachi to be capable of teasing, even if he wasn't as tight lipped as he had been when she had first laid eyes on him weeks ago. He still didn't openly share his feelings with her or let them shine through when he didn't want them to, but she was starting to get accustomed to him and his strange mood swings.

Her eyes roamed over his blank features for a moment habit she had unknowingly developed, when her eyes darted to his masculine lips that curled into a small smirk. She mentally admonished herself for being so attracted to him, it complicated everything.

She took in a deep breath in order to clear her mind and prepare the words she wanted to say, but was interrupted before she had even uttered a syllable. Curtsey of the waiter and her sake.

"One sake for you, madam," he put down the small, beige bottle and the porcelain cups before retreating, finding safety in the direction of his other customers.

Before she could even grab the bottle, Itachi picked it up, removing the cork before sniffing the sake, presumably to check for any sign of poison or perhaps even anesthetics. Satisfied, he poured some sake into her cup.

"I'm going to leave," she blurted out as the sake come to an abrupt halt, amazingly enough, Itachi didn't allow a drop to spill. Unable to answer the intense gaze she felt radiating off him, she started to trace the lines on the wooden table with her eyes, unsuccessfully trying to distract herself from the situation at hand.

Itachi put the bottle back on the table before he lifted her sake to his mouth, taking a small sip as he leaned back, giving Sakura a searching stare.

With resolve set in her mind, she held up one trembling fist towards him, before opening her hand to reveal his ring. He couldn't help but be a little surprised; he had expected her to keep it, not give it back after only one day.

She meticulously placed the ring in the middle of the table before her hand drew back into her lap. He noticed that the quiver in her hand had spread to the rest of her body and knew that underneath her small curtain of pink hair she was crying. Yet he said nothing as he picked up the ring, and slid the familiar metal in place.

"Where will you go now?" He asked after a long silence as he took another sip of sake, enjoying the way it warmed his insides.

Pinwheel eyes watched her shuffle around in her chair, awaiting her answer patiently. "… I don't know," she whispered quietly, still not prepared to meet his gaze.

"What changed your mind?" he continued the questions, fairly interested in why she suddenly changed her mind. She was still weeping; he could see the tears gather at her chin before dripping down on her cloak and hands. Quietly, he wondered why she was crying if she was willing to leave.

"… Sasuke…"

Eyes contracted in annoyance as he put the cup back on the table. His eyes were glued to her as her hand slipped into her robes and pulled something out. Quickly recognizing the familiar scroll in her hands, he stared at the broken seal; she had read it.

"Sorry for reading it," her voice faltered slightly but he could easily hear that she was slowly regaining some of her inner strength. "But I recognized Sasuke's handwriting and well, curiosity got the better of me; I wanted to know why he left you this."

"Does it say anything interesting?" Itachi queried as he brought more sake to his lips. Sakura finally tilted her head up as she brushed the strands of hair away from her eyes. No longer was she scurrying away from his stare, instead she met the apathetic glint with new conviction, despite the few remaining tear trails on her cheeks.

"I think you should read it," she said firmly as she pushed the scroll towards Itachi in a decidedly negligent manner, contradicting the care she had earlier shown his ring. His eyes lingered on Sakura before he picked up the offending object. The parchment was crisp with age and blotchy with blood, but it was readable.

"_Itachi,_

_By the time you get this, Orochimaru will have taken over my body and you have most likely murdered him; Orochimaru informed me that Akatsuki would be coming for him sooner or later. Next week will be the day that I die and my only regret is that I couldn't face you one last time._

_So I'll place my faith in Naruto. I was told that the Kyuubi inhabits his body and I finally understand why you are hunting him. After all it was because of the demon that Naruto was able to heal fast and have an endless stream of chakra. A creature that powerful must certainly intrigue you._

_I anticipate the moment he kills you, so that whatever ambition you had when you killed my clan, is destroyed and cleansed from this earth._

_He will finish what I could not._

_And I shall see your traitorous soul join me soon, brother."_

Itachi eyed the rest of the scroll curiously, unaffected by his brother's cold words. Sasuke had obviously revised the letter many times; crossing through any errors and unnecessary sentences. But Itachi's uncaring outlook changed almost imperceptibly as he realized that Sakura's name was mentioned too, although Sasuke had crossed through the sentence where her name was. Trying to decipher what it said, he could only read a few of the words.

_Sakura… Top medic… Friend…_

"I…" Sakura whispered, tears rising to the surface once more. "I wanted to believe that Sasuke wanted me to be happy. I wanted to believe that Sasuke wouldn't mind if I continued this…this…whatever this is with you. But I can't now that I've read that."

"I have to leave," she added softly, but with a steadfast undertone.

"You're a missing-nin. The ANBU who used to protect you will now hunt you down and murder you," Itachi remarked coldly as he refilled his cup. "Your only friends are Deidara and Kisame but even they will not help you if you leave."

"I know," she swallowed hard. "But how long will it take before your leader orders you to kill me? How many more hunter-nin will come and put all of you in danger because they're following my tracks?"

Itachi nodded slowly; she did have a point. "If this is what you want, then you are free to go."

"My stuff is still at Deidara's house… I need them." They were her only possessions after all.

Itachi said nothing as he stood up and threw some money on the table. The anxious waiter quickly ran towards them and bowed deeply as they steadily walked away. Itachi opened the door, allowing Sakura go out first. She sighed softly before placing her hat back on her head and passed the threshold quickly.

Itachi followed soon after her but purposely lagged behind as they made their way through the main street. Although it had been hours since the sun had set, the moon bathed the streets in an almost ethereal light. Sakura harshly bit her lip as she looked at the moon. No matter how many times she saw the celestial roundness of the full moon, it would always serve to remind her of Sasuke.

He left when the moon was full – she would never forget about that.

Her train of thoughts suddenly came to an end as a warm hand grabbed her wrist. Startled, she already had three kunai between her fingers before she realized that it was Itachi holding her wrist. There was no time to say anything as Itachi roughly dragged her into a passage between two stores. She only had a brief moment to realize that this was the same alley she had stumbled into earlier before Itachi had her pressed against the frigid stone wall. His hand clamped over hers as she tried to squirm away from him, maybe even punch him for startling her.

"Itachi! What are you doing?" Her angry tone made place for a silent whisper as his thumb lazily rubbed her cooled hand. She could feel his warm breath fan over her cheeks as he delicately pulled her hat off, exposing the glare of her rosy tresses. In a tender manner she had never before witnessed in him, he brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, before he traced the elegant curve of her neck.

His eyes were still unreadable as they traveled over her face. His gaze stopped several times on various spots, as if he tried to memorize all of her during those few, precious moments. Finally, his eyes found hers as he snaked one of his arms around her waist possessively.

Deep down, she knew that she should have stopped him. In order to remain loyal to Sasuke as she had promised herself, she should have pushed him away every time. But the warmth that he exuded was much too tempting and she found herself unable to stop him or herself.

The first brush of his lips against her own inspired a wonderful feeling her stomach; she hadn't felt this giddy since before Sasuke's death. She whimpered softly as his hand fisted in her short hair, tipping her head slightly as he deepened the kiss.

She knew this kiss was the last; that this was goodbye. No matter how much she wanted to stay with him, she couldn't. She wouldn't.

Desperate to make this moment last, her arms winded around his waist, clutching him closer against her. She could almost taste the smirk upon his lips as he leaned in closer, instigating another toe-curling kiss. Passion shot through her veins, throbbing deliciously as he moved down to the supple skin of her neck.

Only a small part of her cared that the rough wall against her back was rather uncomfortable, as her shoulder blades and vertebrae were starting to strain from the unkind surface, but to say something now would ruin the moment. In an effort to distract herself from her aching back, she tugged the tie loose from his hair, her hands reverently ravaging the glossy hair and admiring its texture and sheen.

"I want you to stay," Itachi whispered against her neck.

Eyes shot open in response, breaking the spell of desire as Itachi remained silent, waiting for a response. She bit her lip as she valiantly tried to fend off the tears that were threatening to overwhelm her. As Itachi moved back to see her reaction, she avoided his eyes. She was afraid to show him how much those simple words affected her, especially when they came from his mouth.

When she finally mustered up the courage to look him in the eye, his eyes were already drowning in her own; a questioning look caught in the haze of red. With a small start, she realized that this was the first time that she ever saw a hint of uncertainty in his eyes, however microscopic it may have been.

"I… I wish I could," Sakura whispered softly, breaking the fragile connection between her and Itachi. "But I can't Itachi, I'm sorry."

Itachi blinked slowly as if he tried to digest her words. Then as quickly as he pinned her to the wall, he backed away from her. Reaching in his robes, he pulled out a new tie and fixed his hair with certain dignity and ease, as if a heated interlude had not just taken place. Sakura took in a deep lungful of air before pushing herself from the wall, flinching as she felt Itachi's hand cup her cheek.

"You're cold," Itachi remarked, the nonchalant tone back in place. His thumb casually wiped a few of her tears away before relinquishing his hold on her. He turned around and placed the hat back on his head before striding away calmly.

Sakura watched him walk away in that regal manner of his before following him, putting the hat back on her head to conceal her tears. Reaching up to idly dab the tears away, she realized that he was right. She was cold.

--------

"Damn," Deidara cursed as he shakily landed on a branch. He had been running for the past four hours and finally reached Cloud. Cursing softly, he checked the wound on his arm to make sure he hadn't made it even bigger in his haste. Deidara was pretty sure that Leader had meant to rip it off as a punishment for being such a fool along with the added delight of the unsightly abrasions he was sure to find on his abdomen.

_Damn, I hope Sakura will fix me up… yeah._

He sighed before doubling his speed, flinching with every jump and landing. The sooner he got home, the sooner his pain would be history. That was his only consoling thought.

Passing the town where the Raikage resided, he contemplated finding a medic, but ultimately decided against it. Not only was Sakura an extremely qualified medic-nin, she was also a dear friend to him and the thought of Sakura fixing him was more tempting than the idea of an unknown nurse touching him.

Just as he was about to turn in the direction towards his house, his eye fell on the gate to Cloud.

"Akatsuki?" he whispered confusedly, eyebrows furring. "One is definitely a girl."

_Girl? Hold on Deidara. We don't have females in Akatsuki…Then…_

"Sakura!" he yelled ecstatically as he started waving frantically. He watched in glee as the Akatsuki-clad girl turned towards him, and pulled his hat off, revealing his trademark blonde hair. Sakura mimicked his gestures and waved back as she pulled her hat off her head, revealing her own pink hair.

As the figure next to her turned towards him, he could easily recognize that her companion was Itachi. Deidara's smile wavered momentarily as he gritted his teeth. But the anger that had welled up inside of him at the sight of Itachi quickly vanished when Sakura started to run towards him.

"Deidara," she panted as she jogged towards him, leaving Itachi behind. "You're hurt!"

"You don't say… yeah?" Deidara murmured sarcastically as he sat down on the grass. "Leader didn't go easy on me."

"Let me see," she whispered softly as she crouched down beside him. Sighing heavily, Deidara stood up with the greatest of effort, aided by Sakura as she grabbed his arm. He smiled gratefully before lifting his hands in an attempt to open up his robes.

Immediately, an intense, white-hot pain flamed through his arm, forcing an obscenity out of his mouth. Sakura said nothing as she unbuttoned his robes and slid her hands inside the sleeves, gently helping him out of his cloak.

Her eyes meandered over his battered body, taking in every cut, every bruise and the large, gaping wound on his arm.

"Did he try to kill you?" she whispered unbelievingly as she urged him to sit down again.

"If he had tried, he would have succeeded," Itachi said calmly as he appeared next to Sakura. Glancing at the wounds on Deidara's body with a certain curiosity, he sat down on the grass, observing Sakura as she started to heal the lesser wounds.

"He's angry though… yeah," Deidara chuckled painfully. "It seems Zetsu has been killed in a mission."

"Zetsu?" Sakura inquired as her hands moved up to Deidara arm. "When did that happen?"

"Yesterday… yeah," Deidara answered thoughtfully. "And now there's an open spot in Akatsuki and it seems Leader has no idea who to replace Zetsu with… Interested, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura's eyes turned downcast and Deidara's smile disappeared as soon as it came. He had fully expected her to smile at him, to humor him, but certainly not this. A quick glance in Itachi's direction told him that Itachi had seen the change in Sakura, but chose not to speak up.

"I'm leaving…" Sakura murmured quietly as she started the healing process on Deidara's arm.

Deidara gave Sakura a perplexed gawk before chuckling softly. "Nice Sakura, you almost had me fooled… yeah."

"She is not joking," Itachi answered flatly.

"Say what?" Deidara's visible eye widened before he grabbed Sakura's hand. "Is he serious about this Sakura? Are you really leaving?"

Silently pleading for her to tell him that it was all just a joke; that she wouldn't leave – that she would stay – he watched her, biting his lip in anticipation. Even if she wanted to leave, Itachi would probably stop her this time around; he would not want Sakura to go away… would he?

"I… I am leaving Deidara," she said evenly as she averted her eyes. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

"…But why?" Deidara's voice implored. "I mean… Where would you go? Aside from us, I doubt that there's anyone who wants to help you now that you're a missing-nin… yeah."

"I don't know, but I can't stay here," she sighed heavily before glancing at his wound again. "Let me heal this for you."

As her hands stretched out towards the gaping wound that showed signs of infection, Deidara moved his arm back and grabbed her wrist with his good arm. "No, not before you tell me why you're leaving… yeah."

The same angered and somewhat threatening look she had seen in Orochimaru's lair was etched on his features once again, but his rage wasn't directed at her. While her eyes wandered over Deidara's face, she could see that his lone, blue eye was directed at Itachi. Itachi however, was looking as stoic as ever – maybe even more so than usual – as he watched Deidara with an interested expression in his eyes.

"No particular reason… I just felt that I should leave you be," she lied quickly, feeling how rapidly the intensity in the atmosphere had risen. The same, cold sensation she had gotten before was filling the air, making it difficult for her lungs to catch a good breath. For some reason, a wrathful Deidara had this effect on her.

"Right," Deidara whispered, eyebrows arched. "And I suppose this has nothing to do with us individually, just the organization?"

"Yes," she smiled sadly as his eye focused back on her, the animosity in the air disappearing gradually.

"Okay then," Deidara forced himself to grin, forced himself to cast the illusion that he believed her deceit. He knew that the source of her leaving was Itachi; whether it was something he had said or done, it was definitely Itachi's fault.

Not for the first time did Deidara feel true hatred towards his companion. The first happened when he kissed Sakura on the kitchen table so many weeks ago. The second was during their raid in Orochimaru's lair, when he had upset her after she had found out about Sasuke's death. And now this.

But Sakura loved him. Sakura would do anything for him. Deidara was sure that if Itachi asked her to stay, she would stay, no matter what consequences.

His false grin broadened as he allowed Sakura to heal his wound, staying completely still in order to let her concentrate. He ignored Itachi's deep gaze through the entire process, determined not to let his anger get out of control again.

Sakura was scared of his temper. Especially the way it seemed to strangely influence his surroundings. Deidara never paid it any heed as he repeatedly told himself that it was ridiculous to get angry since there never were any good reasons to be.

When he joined Akatsuki, he should have left his emotions back in Stone.

He watched in awe how Sakura's skilled chakra quickly patched him up. He could actually see the tissue healing quickly before the wound closed. Astonished, he glanced at Sakura who was smiling happy as her hands withdrew. Sure that his eye was popping out of its socket, he smiled back before inspecting his hand.

"Damn Sakura, you're a miracle worker… yeah," he admired her handy work before standing up and picking his robes up from the grass. "I've seen a few medic-nin, but you are by far the most talented," he added, genuinely complimenting her.

"Thank you," Sakura smiled, glad that the evening sky didn't reveal the hard blush that stained her cheeks. She had been complimented many times on her skills since Tsunade had trained her, but she had never expected a compliment from an Akatsuki member.

Then again, her entire judgment on the organization had changed tremendously and she found herself amazed how friendly some of the Akatsuki members were. She had expected them all to be ruthless killers with no conscience and a lifeless face, like Itachi. Never in a million years would she have expected to find a second Naruto in Akatsuki.

But Deidara certainly equaled her friend in more than a few aspects. He had the friendly disposition, the blonde hair and the blue eyes, although Naruto's hair was significantly shorter. Their personalities were similar as well; both were friendly and protective, yet both were dangerous when angered.

It wasn't the first time that she had compared Deidara with Naruto, and the more she learned about him, the more he reminded her of the blonde back in Konoha with the dream to become the next Hokage.

The longing to see Naruto struck her for a moment, filling her mind with the memories of her and the blonde boy. After he had returned from his training with Jiraiya, it dawned on her how he had matured, and perhaps just for a little while, she had a crush on him. But she had dismissed it quickly enough, blaming the hormones that were raging through her body.

Forcing herself to smile, she helped Deidara as he clumsily tried to get his robes on, obviously forgetting that his wound wasn't fully healed.

"I'll completely heal it when we're back at your house," she said, the smile still apparent on her lips. "This was just emergency treatment."

"I see…" Deidara chuckled. "And here I was, thinking that everything would be alright since Konoha's top medic would fix me up. You're quite the disappointment…yeah."

Sakura tried as hard as she could to give him a death glare but failed miserably as his eye creased happily and a genuine smile bloomed on his lips. She chuckled softly, before hitting Deidara half-heartedly on his shoulder.

The whole time Itachi had watched them silently as the two of them laughed boisterously before they finally started to walk back towards Deidara's house.

Surprisingly enough, a strange but wondrous feeling welled up in his chest. In his life, he hadn't experienced many delightful things, but hearing Sakura laugh without any false pretenses, was truly pleasurable.

And beautiful.

--------

"Home at last," Deidara sighed contently as his small, traditional Japanese house came into view. Never before had he been any happier to be home. Smiling, he turned around to face Sakura, before holding out his hand towards her. She was leaving soon and he really wanted to talk to her one last time, fully determined to find out why she was so intent on leaving.

A smile flourished on her lips as she accepted his hand, before being led towards the house. She turned her head around slightly as she tried to face Itachi, but the Uchiha was standing still, a curious expression on his features.

_He's probably checking the perimeter…_

Her smile slightly faded as she turned around before following Deidara into the house. Taking her sandals off, she noticed Deidara looking at a spot on the floor, eyebrows knitting together.

"Sakura, have you ever forgotten to take your sandals off… yeah?" Deidara's expression became serious as he crouched down on the floor, inspecting the mud on his usual pristine, wooden floor.

"No," she answered simply before crouching down next to Deidara. "Perhaps it's one of Akatsuki?"

"No… Itachi always takes his sandals off when he steps into a house, and Kisame does the same," Deidara moved towards another spot where the unsightly mud resided. "Sasori-sama's footprints are smaller than these and he knows better than to irk me by making my house a mess."

"What about the other members?" Sakura asked as she stood up, attention drawn to a spot on the wall. Examining the spot, she concluded that it was a muddy handprint.

"They don't know where my house is, except Leader, but he never leaves the Akatsuki headquarters… yeah," Deidara replied before standing from his crouching position. Turning around, he quickly found the lights and clicked them on, intent on finding out who entered his house.

"The prints are all over the house," Sakura exclaimed as she started to follow the footsteps carefully, whipping out a kunai in process. "They're definitely not hunter-nins, they would never leave such evidence."

"There are footsteps outside too," Itachi's soft voice drifted through the air. Sakura turned around, absentmindedly twirling her kunai around her fingers.

"What about civilians? Perhaps it's someone from Cloud who lost their way?" she asked, brushing a couple of pink bangs from her eyes.

"This house is hidden between two mountains. There's an entire forest you need to cross in order to find this location, not to mention that it's miles away from the nearest town," Deidara explained hastily, grabbing his pouch to check his clay reserves. "The only ones who could reach this place would be a high-skilled shinobi… yeah."

"There are two shinobi hiding," Itachi answered as he turned around to face the shoji screens. "I think they just realized that we know they're here, and they're closing in on us. I believe you were hunting those two with Sasori."

"That darn sanbi?" Deidara's eyes widened. "Why would he voluntarily seek us out? Is he out of his mind? Does he want to die… yeah?"

"…Tooya," Sakura whispered, remembering the dark-haired shinobi from Mist. "His name is Tooya, right? He has dark hair and blue eyes."

"You met him?" Deidara turned around to face her.

"Yes, it was on the night when you first left. I heard Sasori describing him later on and knew that I had fought him," Sakura remembered. "I remember that he has the ability to steal your chakra."

"Great," Deidara beamed. "I was hoping to get another crack at someone to prove myself. Once I'm done with that bastard, I'll make him mop my house… yeah."

"They're here," Itachi remarked before spinning on his heels, leaving the house.

"Well, let's go Sakura… yeah," Deidara grinned as he walked back to the shoji screens, sliding his sandals on. Sakura following his lead, hurriedly put her sandals around her feet before standing up.

As she watched Deidara take out his clay, she suddenly appreciated how much she truly loved her friend. Acting on this spur of affection, she wrapped her arms around his waist, eliciting a small chuckle from Deidara as he encircled his arms around her in response.

"What's this about… yeah?" Deidara kept chuckling. "If you wanted a hug, you could have just said so… yeah."

"I'm sorry, I'm acting ridiculous," she quickly pulled away from the hug as she felt a tear escape from the corner of her eye. Deidara stared at her before wiping the tear away from her cheek. He seemed like he was contemplating something for a moment, before bowing down to meet her eyes.

She watched as his eye crinkled in happiness, smiling in return. But when she momentarily closed her eyes to calm herself down, she could feel his lips pressing against hers. Amazed by the compassion of his kiss, her eyes opened to watch Deidara's closed one. Whether it was because he didn't want to see her reaction as he kissed her, or if he just tried to shut everything else out, she didn't know.

The kiss was soft and chaste, filled with certain tenderness. Pulling away from her, he smiled uncertainly as he inspected her reddened cheeks and flushed smile. He had seriously thought that she would hate him for kissing her again, maybe even start yelling and cursing him, especially after making her feelings for Itachi apparent, but to his surprise, Sakura just pulled him closer to her and kissed him warmly on his cheek.

His little sister Iname had once told him that whenever girls are sad or worried, the thing they long most for is comfort. And there were various ways to comfort someone; you could give them a hug, speak soothing words, or give the other one a small kiss as a reassurance – although she had mentioned that the only ones who could do this were _very_ good friends. Silently thanking Iname for being right, he grinned widely before leading Sakura outside.

-------------------

"Well, well, look what we have got here," a deep voice drawled as Deidara and Sakura stepped out of the house. "Blondie boy and our prey."

"Prey?" Itachi asked curiously, casting a sideward glance towards the two who had just joined the battle. "Why is Sakura your prey?"

"We want the Kyuubi to join us in a battle against Akatsuki," the brown-haired man answered. "If we use Sakura to get what we want, the Kyuubi's powers will be ours."

"Ah, so you're an inept Jinchuuriki… yeah," Deidara taunted. "You need the power of the Kyuubi to have a standing chance at killing us."

"Let's see how _inept_ I am once I've killed you all," Tooya growled as his incensed chakra started to swirl around in the vicinity, making Sakura slightly flinch at the overpowering murdering intent.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Itachi replied coolly.

"Good question," Tooya smirked as he lifted his hands up, forming a series of seals. Deidara gave him a puzzled look as he crouched down into fighting position.

"Itachi, what are those seals? I've never seen them before… yeah," he shot a questioning glance towards Itachi before grabbing a kunai. Even if the boy seemed weaker than most Jinchuuriki he had seen, they were not a force to underestimate. But he'd prefer to end this all with just a kunai, instead of using his explosives. Destroying his house and the surrounding area was not on his to-do list.

Itachi let out a small sound of amusement as the tomoes in the Sharingan started to spin wildly. "I've never seen this technique before."

"_What_!" Deidara stared at Itachi in incredulity. "You know over a thousand techniques, Kisame showed you everything of Mist, yet you've never seen this one!"

"There is no way of knowing this one," Tooya laughed maniacally. "It's a technique reserved for the Jinchuuriki. I'm the first one who will ever use this technique on you and I might as well make it the last."

"Little brat," Deidara viciously gnashed his teeth together as he glanced at Sakura. She still had the stubborn look in her eyes, but now he could also spot insecurity and fear. Gripping the kunai in his hand even harder, he tried to charge towards the Jinchuuriki but found himself unable to.

"We're paralyzed," Itachi remarked simply as he stared at the dark-haired ANBU who was forming a ball of chakra in his hands. Quickly calculating the density of chakra in the attack, he frowned slightly as he realized that he was preparing for a fatal blow.

"Deidara," he called out, attracting the blonde's attention. "If we get hit by that attack, we'll most certainly die."

"Shit," the man next to him cursed. "Can't you use the Sharingan or Mangekyou!"

"Both of them aren't looking at me," the Uchiha replied as he tried to find the flaw in the paralyzing technique with his Sharingan. "I can't use my doujutsu if they aren't looking at me."

"He finished his attack," Sakura called out softly, her voice trembling slightly. The attack had paralyzed her as well and to be honest, the enormous chakra that Tooya was emitting was scaring her.

Both men watched as Tooya and Kira took a step backwards and Tooya started to aim the attack. The ball was not much larger than a melon but all three of them could feel the devastating energy within it. Especially Sakura, after being trained in recognizing chakra and feeling the intensity of it, she could feel the immense power of the ball weigh down on her, constricting her chest and making it hard for her to inhale.

It was then that Tooya directed the ball towards her, a maniacal expression on his face as he released the ball and it started to careen towards her.

Quickly, her medic mind took over, going over all the possibilities that she could use once the ball hit her. Hinata had been trying to teach her how to release chakra into a barrier, but she hadn't perfected her technique yet and if it went through the barrier, it would be all for nothing.

Then again, Tsunade had taught her a technique that Kabuto knew well. If she begun the healing process before getting hit, the damage would be severe but not life threatening. Deeming it the best option, Sakura closed her eyes as she started to mold chakra throughout her entire body, getting a head start on the healing process.

As a last resort, she could use Tsunade's special technique to heal all her wounds at once. It would cost her a couple of years of her life, but it didn't matter.

She didn't want to die yet.

Just as the ball was about to tear into her body, something flew out in front of her. She gasped breathlessly as she realized that her savior was wearing a terrifyingly familiar Akatsuki cloak. She could heard the blood rushing to her head and her heart strumming erratically as she screamed for the person in front of her when they took the full impact of the deadly attack and plummeted lifelessly towards the ground.

--------------------

**_A/N: _**_I cannot tell you how much I apologize for this enormous delay in the chapter! I've been working all week on this one, yet a writer's block started to hunt me, just like school, so I've been busy, busy!_

_Thank you, Stem, for being a wonderful beta, I don't know what I'd do without you!_

_Also, I've decided to shorten Evolution somewhat, since I didn't want anymore transitional chapters in this arc anymore. So, after this, its two more chapters left and Evolution will be done! Full speed ahead towards Salvation – the last arc of the trilogy!_

_See you next time!_

_-- MitsukiShiroi _


	9. Chapter 9

**Evolution – An Itachi & Sakura story.**

**By: Mitsuki Shiroi**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

**_A/N: _**_Wow, it's almost the end of Evolution! I can't believe how quick this project is moving!_

_This chapter is dedicated to Tsumii, who had been terrible impatient for the last chapter, so I hope that this one satisfies her needs while she's waiting patiently every weekend for an update._

**Chapter Nine – Distracted by Defeat**

Years ago, when Team 7 was still _Team 7 _and Sasuke was still living and breathing, all three of them had gone on a C-ranked mission to protect a business man from harm from robbers and other scum in Rain. It was their last mission as a team together. Two weeks later Sasuke took off.

They had been watching the stars all night - Naruto eventually dozed off, snoring softly from her left as Sasuke shifted on her right. She still could remember that night, the moment that everything felt…perfect. Just to be there with two of the most important boys in her life was amazing.

Yes, once upon a time she had loathed Naruto and was disgusted by his abnormal behavior and childish outlook on life, but by the time the Chuunin exams were over, she had grown to respect him, even admire him. His reckless determination and fierce loyalty astounded her to this day.

But the one on her right was the one that captured her full attention. Even long after he had turned his back on her and wished her goodnight, she kept her gaze steady on the Uchiha insignia on his back, wishing with all her might that one day, he would actually _see _her and acknowledge her as more than an annoyance. The maybe she could have the life that she had been dreaming of.

She drifted off shortly after that, but returned to the land of the living only after a few, short hours, bathing in cold sweat. Nightmares about Sasuke leaving had been haunting her for quite some time now. But when she woke up, he was there, hovering over her with a concerned look in his eyes.

After quietly murmuring that it was just a nightmare, his eyes saddened, but only for an instant. The foreign emotion in his eyes was gone as soon as it came. Yet the shock of seeing something other than distain and ambition in his eyes was nothing compared to her astonishment when he wiped away the tears on her cheeks before giving her a chaste and uncertain hug, whispering in that deep tenor of his that it was just a dream and that everything would be alright.

It was one of the only times when he had made an effort to comfort her and try to soothe her fears. She could clearly remember how his calm voice sounded in her ear and how he had blushed wildly when she mentioned that he never voluntarily hugged her before. For the first time since Orochimaru appeared, she had genuinely believed that he would stay with them forever, that he would be strong enough to resist the temptation and find power in his own way - in Konoha.

How she wished that she could still smell how the scent of forest and sandalwood clung to his skin. How she wished that he could be here with her and comfort her once more as another one of her friends fell.

Finding herself unable to move, she watched in utter horror, as Deidara's trademark blonde hair came into terrifying focus. The moment could have been a disturbing, yet enthralling portrait. His body arched gracefully with exquisite pain and blood the color of roses soared in the air in an almost artistic manner. His face, oh god, his face…though it may be splattered with crimson, a small turn of the lips adorned his face and made him an immortal figure of art.

But the moment was over as he landed on his back, barely ten feet away from her and the paralyzing jutsu was suddenly released. But for all she knew the jutsu could have worn off ages ago and she stood frozen of her own will. The problem she seemed to have with her knees persisted, and once again they couldn't hold her horrified figure.

For a moment, she had thought that it had ended, but Deidara proved her wrong as he coughed violently, blood gushing from his lips and staining his chin.

On hands and knees, she crawled to him as quickly as she could, ignoring the loud crash of thunder that resounded in the air and the downpour of rain that the heavens unleashed upon them. Forming a flurry of seals, she quickly started the healing process on Deidara.

Eyes that had been trained to understand the human body and all of its maladies, immediately informed her that his inner organs were severely damaged and he was more than likely suffering from internal bleeding. In addition the numerous lacerations and broad hole in the middle of his upper body may very well kill him from blood loss if she didn't act fast. But the side of her that was emotionally attached could only see the blood. Throughout her entire career as a medic and as a kunoichi, she had never seen the red liquid flow so generously out of person before, never really understood just how much blood was in a person. But with Sasuke…and now Deidara…

Her ignorant eyes had been opened.

She knew right off the back that she didn't have enough chakra to heal his entire wound, but she had a sufficient amount to heal _just enough_. If she could just make it in time, Deidara would live.

Deidara _had_ to live.

As she closed her eyes in concentration, she could vaguely hear a battle going on; the clashing of kunai and shuriken was just barely audible over the raging storm. Knowing that Itachi was busy defeating the two shinobi, she closed her senses to the outside world and focused them back on Deidara.

Opening her eyes, she realized that he was looking at her, his characteristic grin plastered on his lips. His penetrating eye watched her skilled hands as she fought to heal the large, gaping wound on his chest.

"…Sakura," he called out weakly, a satisfied smile crossing his lips as she looked up immediately. "It's okay… You can stop now…"

"Deidara…" she tried to smile encouragingly as she placed her hands back on his chest. "I can't stop now, you're still hurt. If I don't heal you now… Deidara… You'll…"

"Die?" he asked simply before falling into another coughing fit. Green eyes widened as she gauged the damage. His lungs had also been injured; he wouldn't be coughing up this much blood if they hadn't.

Nodding vehemently, Sakura started to collect chakra into her hands, hell bent on saving her best friend from certain death. This couldn't happen again - Deidara couldn't end up like _him_.

She didn't want to lose anyone special to her again.

Although she tried to fight it, tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes. She closed them, before taking in a deep breath, refusing to let emotions interfere with her task. She had to make quick work of this; Deidara was on the verge of dying. He was counting on her.

"Don't…" Deidara said gently, ignoring the pain as he lifted his arm to stop her. He was a dead man, they both knew that. Sakura just didn't want to accept it.

"Deidara, I have to!" Sakura was scared, frustrated and was on the verge of becoming hysterical. She had to make him listen; he just didn't understand the severity of the situation. There had to be something that could make him change his mind so that she could heal him.

"You know…" he said to her, a gentle smile gracing his lips as his hand refused to relinquish his hold on her hands. She only felt warmth against his cooling skin. "When I first met you, I thought you were just some stupid kid whose only ambition was to marry one of the Uchihas... yeah."

"Deidara," she pleaded in a whisper as she tried to free her hands from his tight grip, but to no avail. Even when he was half-dead, Deidara was stronger then her.

He ignored her as he tried to muster more strength for his story. He needed to tell her this before leaving this world. "But… when you went against Itachi and told him that we had plans for that night," he coughed roughly. "You gained my respect… And I was thinking… 'this girl is really amazing'… yeah."

There was no stopping her tears now as they slid down her grubby cheeks as she recalled the event. His hand squeezes hers faintly as he tried to continue.

"We've been through quite a lot together… yeah," he spat out some blood and Sakura could do nothing but watch helplessly, all the while trying to free her hands from his iron grip. How a man could be this strong while he was almost dead was beyond her. "How long have we known each other? Three months now… yeah."

She nodded softly. "Three months," she whispered softly.

"Remember when you fell asleep in my arms…?" his eyelids were getting heavy as he fought to keep them open. "Right after you told me everything about life with Sasuke and Naruto…"

"I remember…" she sobbed.

"I think that it was the turning moment for me then…" Deidara said, a smile surfacing on his lips.

"…That was the day that I fell in love," Deidara said to her before his eyelid shut. The grip on her hands lessened and finally, she could pull herself free from his grasp. Desperately wrapping her arms around him, she started to shake him violently, refusing to believe that Deidara was gone.

"Deidara…" she whispered, tears mingling with the rain as they fell down on his lifeless body. Someone was standing next to her; whether it was the enemy or Itachi, she didn't care. All she wanted was for Deidara to open his eyes again and smile at her like he always did, chuckling in that deep voice of his.

"Deidara!" she screamed for him in gut wrenching sobs as she continued to shake him, trying to wake him up, trying to convince herself that it was just a bad nightmare. That Deidara would still be there when the rain would stop; that he would still be there in a week, fighting with Itachi over the food during their Akatsuki-style dinners.

But he wouldn't ever be there again. Her illusions were shattered as she realized that she was soaked in her dead friend's blood, desperately clinging to his body in the pounding rain. Her head shot up, searching the skies for some sort of deity that would correct this wrong and bring him back to her. But she couldn't see anything amidst the grim thunderheads. Bending over, she pressed her head in the nape of his neck, sobbing shamelessly as she pressed the blonde's corpse against her.

"_Deidara? Do you think that there's a heaven? That when we die, we'll be in a perfect place, reunited with everyone we love?"_

"_You know what I think about heaven?" Deidara smirked. "I think that heaven is overrated."_

_She smiled back at him. "So do I."_

------------------

When she woke up again, she was back in the room Deidara had given her. Bolting upright, for one glorious moment she had thought that she had a bad dream. She told herself that Deidara would be walking in any second now, a tray with breakfast for her as they discussed a cacophony of things.

But her blood-encrusted fingers spoke of a different tale, quickly dashing her hopes. She was still in her nightmare and escaping was futile.

"You're awake," Itachi's voice drifted through the room. Looking around, still disorientated by her living nightmare, she found his form on a chair on her left side, legs crossed over as his hands rested on his stomach.

How Itachi could be so unruffled at times was still a mystery to her.

"Obviously," she snapped, trying her hardest to keep her emotions in check.

"Obviously," he echoed softly before standing up. "Come, Kisame just brought in breakfast."

"So this is how it goes?" Sakura clenched her teeth hard as she closed her eyes to stop the tears from coming. Taking in a deep breath, she reopened her eyes, only to receive a cold stare back. "One of you dies and you just live on like it's an everyday occurrence?"

Itachi nodded before turning around. "You're a shinobi too; you should know that death isn't uncommon in our lifestyle."

"At least I mourn the ones I've lost," Sakura glared at Itachi's back. "How do you do that? How can you just go on like nothing happened?"

"Be glad it wasn't you," Itachi responded calmly before striding towards the door.

"…I wish I had died there," Sakura's eyes saddened as she clasped her sheets in her hands. "Everybody around me is dying, but I'm still here…"

"Don't say such things," Itachi said to her. "Deidara sacrificed his life so that you could live. I suggest you don't waste such a valuable present."

As he passed the threshold, he only stopped when he heard her voice again.

"Itachi…?" she spoke up softly. Turning around, he could see her watching him with an uncertain look in her eyes. "I'm… I'm leaving tomorrow."

Itachi just nodded as he walked away.

-----------------

"Is Uzumaki Naruto still in the hospital?" Shikamaru asked one of the nurses. As she nodded slowly, he walked away and towards the room that seemed to have become Naruto's second home. Ever since he had found out about the deaths of his two best friends, Naruto had been training like crazy, taking the hardest missions that ANBU could get, just to become the next Hokage and drown out the pain that came when he lost his friends.

Sighing lazily, Shikamaru stopped in front of a huge room that was reserved for ANBU members. Opening the door slightly, he could easily see Naruto. The blonde hair almost functioned as a bonfire for him.

"Naruto," he greeted as he stepped inside the room, earning a grin back. Although it seemed like the old Naruto was back, Shikamaru instinctively knew that Naruto was just faking it. It had become so easy to read him since their first mission together. He had always been an open book, but Shikamaru had found out that once he befriended you, he's even easier to read. But even Naruto kept certain emotions hidden from his friends.

"I heard from the Fifth that you went on an S-Class mission again," Shikamaru sighed heavily as he sat down on a small chair next to Naruto's bed. "She's planning to make you the next Hokage anyway, so just relax, okay?"

Naruto's sky-blue eyes widened almost comically. "Wait, she's going to make me the Sixth Hokage!"

"She didn't tell you yet?" Shikamaru asked incredulously. "Everybody knows this already, although it's not official yet."

"But…" Naruto stammered, eyes scanning Shikamaru's for any fabrications. "Are you sure? Did she tell you this?"

"I overheard her talking to Shizune," he offered a lopsided grin. "Apparently, she wants to stop working as a Hokage when she reaches the age of sixty, which is just about four years from now. She's afraid that something similar to the Third will happen to her and that she won't be able to keep the village safe. Can't say she's wrong though, I'd like to welcome a Hokage that is younger than forty for once."

"I'll be twenty-two then…" Naruto spoke up softly. "I'll be one of the youngest Hokages!"

"Only the Third was younger, he became Hokage at the age of sixteen," Shikamaru smiled as he patted Naruto on his shoulder. "Good job Naruto, you proved everyone wrong."

"I see you've already told Naruto the news," Tsunade's serious voice made both of them look up. "Shikamaru, leave now please."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Shikamaru nodded politely before walking away. Once Tsunade felt him leaving the vicinity, she turned her gaze back towards Naruto, observing the shocked expression on his face.

"Tsunade-baa-chan…" Naruto whispered softly.

"I would have preferred to tell you this myself, but I guess some things are inevitable," the sannin sighed as she walked towards the chair that Shikamaru had been occupying moments before. "What Shikamaru said was true."

She smiled at him, hoping to finally see _him _smile again. Ever since Sakura and Sasuke had died, Tsunade had not seen one, genuine smile on his face. All he ever gave lately were half-smiled and fake grins. It pained her to see the once so happy boy transform in the dull young man in front of her.

But she didn't get what she had expected. Instead, Naruto bowed his head slightly as tears spilled over his eyelids. Pushing away the heavy duvet under which he was resting, he threw his legs over his bedside, getting up promptly. Without saying a word, Naruto stepped towards Tsunade and slid his arms around her neck, crying without any restraint.

For a moment, Tsunade looked surprised. It had been so long since someone ever cried out on her shoulder; the last time it happened was when Nawaki was still alive and he had hurt his legs with shuriken training.

Smiling softly, Tsunade kissed his head in a motherly fashion before caressing his blonde hair as wept in her arms, hoping and praying that wherever Sasuke and Sakura were; they would be watching over him and smile for him when the day came that he would become the next Hokage.

----------------

"So, that little sanbi ran away after you and Deidara broke that genjutsu he had cast?" Kisame growled as he grabbed a sandwich. "You weren't able to catch him?"

"No," Itachi answered simply. "Deidara had died, it was my obligation to stay with him and report to Leader."

"True," the shark-man said as he took a large bite. "Sakura?"

"Upset," Itachi answered flatly before grabbing some of the grapes that Kisame had bought. "She's leaving tomorrow."

"Again?" Kisame grinned as he took another bite. "Where will she go?"

A pause ensued as Itachi ate one of his grapes, chewing slowly as he thought about it. "She isn't sure yet."

"Are you going to miss her?" Kisame queried, keeping his eyes on Itachi to see any reaction. During the time that Sakura had been with them, he could easily see the change in Itachi. Love was a foreign concept to both of them, but Kisame was fairly sure that Itachi cared for Sakura in some way.

He had known Itachi for thirteen years now but Itachi had never even touched a woman. Sakura was the sole exception and it seemed that she had found a way into Itachi's cold heart.

Whether this was a good or bad thing, Kisame didn't know.

"What do you mean by that?" Itachi answered, staring at Kisame with his usual empty face.

"Deidara told me he had seen you and Sakura," Kisame said carefully, not knowing if this would upset Itachi. "…kissing."

Itachi said nothing as he resumed eating. "Your point being?"

"Where's Deidara's body?" a soft voice interrupted their conversation just as Kisame opened his mouth. Shutting it, he looked at Sakura, who looked like she had been crying nonstop since the incident. Her eyes were swollen and rimmed with red and she was clenching her Haruno shirt in her hands.

"Not here," Kisame spoke up. "Sasori took him. Akatsuki members who lose their partners are supposed to take care of the bodies."

"I see," she whispered quietly as she shuffled forward, sitting down on one of Deidara's wooden chairs.

"_Deidara… Why is everything wooden in here?"_

"_Cleaning up is troublesome… yeah."_

Everything she saw was a memory of him. Every smidgen of clay reminded her of the time when he made a bird for her out of the substance, using a ninjutsu to breathe life into it. They had played with the birds and his techniques for hours. It was one of her fondest memories of Deidara.

"Sakura," Kisame asked worriedly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she replied as she stood up and left the room wordlessly. Kisame gave her retreating back a scrutinizing glance before he resumed eating his sandwich, the conversation he had earlier with Itachi forgotten.

Itachi remained quiet as he eyed the door for a second, as if he were contemplating something. Making his mind up, he stood up from his chair, ignoring Kisame's questioning gaze as he stalked out of the room.

He knew exactly where she was; she was much too predictable. As he slid the shoji screen that led to the garden open, he could easily hear her crying softly. She wasn't aware of his presence and to be honest, he didn't know if she wanted to see him. He didn't care though; she would leave in one day and they had much to discuss.

As he got closer towards her, he could hear that she was trying to quell her weeping. She had obviously sensed his presence and was working hard to make him believe that she was the cool-headed medic that she always was.

He sat down next to her in the grass, shaking his robes off in the process. Elbows resting on his knees, he said nothing as they watched the sunset, just as they had the day before. Little did they know that they would lose a companion – a team member only a few short hours after watching that sunset.

"Why did you come here?" Sakura asked softly, secretly admiring herself for having such a steady voice while she felt that her world was falling apart once again.

"We need to talk," Itachi answered promptly.

"About what? Why, of all times, do you want to talk to me _now_?"

"You're leaving tomorrow," Itachi stated the obvious. "I may not have time to talk with you tomorrow, depending on how and when you'll leave."

"What do you want to talk about?" Sakura flung in a bitter attitude as she glanced at Itachi.

"Our leader has an offer for you," Itachi explained calmly. "We need a medic for Akatsuki and it seems that Sasori and Deidara recommended you as the best medic they know."

"You're asking me to join Akatsuki?" Sakura's eyes widened. "You have got to be kidding me! You're all highly-trained missing-nin from various villages."

"So are you," Itachi reminded her. "You're a missing-nin with experience and training from Tsunade herself."

"…But if I join Akatsuki… There's a chance that I might have to hunt after Naruto as well…" She shook her head. Although she had long left Konoha behind her, there was no way that she would ever betray Naruto or any other friend in Konoha.

"Technically you would heal us when we're hurt," Itachi folded his fingers together as he waited for an answer. "But yes, it would also mean that you would be helping us capture Naruto-kun," he added as an afterthought.

"Then I can't join," she answered immediately. "I will never backstab Naruto or Konoha in such a way."

"I know," Itachi's mouth curved, just a shy away from a smirk. "I already told Kisame to tell leader. Your choices are predictable, Sakura. Although I must say that I had been expecting you to cry incessantly for Deidara."

"I've run out of tears," Sakura answered as she swallowed hard. "I know that Deidara would want me to smile instead of cry, so I'm going to do just that."

"What time are you leaving?" Itachi said, changing the subject.

"In the morning, I don't want to risk Tooya and Kira finding me again," Sakura answered truthfully. She tipped her head in consideration. "Itachi?"

Though he said nothing, she knew she had his attention. "Why do you think that they want to meet Naruto so badly? Is it really just because of Naruto's power so that they can use him against Akatsuki?"

"I don't understand how a Jinchuuriki thinks," Itachi answered truthfully. "Perhaps he really wanted to use Naruto-kun against Akatsuki or perhaps it's the same as Zetsu's case."

"Zetsu?" Sakura inquired curiously. "What did Zetsu have to do with this?"

"The demon inside of him apparently wanted to have contact with other Jinchuuriki. That's why leader gave him the position as a lookout," Itachi answered.

"Zetsu was a Jinchuuriki?" Sakura's eyes bulged out of its sockets. "Which one?"

"The five-tailed demon, a Hoko," Itachi said to her. "The Hoko has a connection to nature, especially trees and grass, that is why we used Zetsu, as he was a missing-nin from Grass."

"I see…" Sakura pondered over this for a moment. "Does everybody have a Jinchuuriki for the demons you're about to capture?"

"Yes, Naruto-kun's Kyuubi is destined for me. The Isonade, the three-tailed demon is already inside of Kisame," Itachi said flatly. "The eight-tailed demon was inside of Orochimaru and we need to confirm the other demons before designating them to their Jinchuuriki."

"Wait," Sakura turned towards Itachi. "Kisame and Orochimaru both have a demon inside of them?"

"Kisame wasn't born a fish nor was Orochimaru born a snake."

She smiled softly as she heard the dry remark come out of Itachi's mouth. "So, Zetsu wasn't born a plant either?"

Itachi shook his head in amusement. "Neither would Deidara have been born with insomnia."

"So… Deidara would have gotten Gaara's Shukaku?" Sakura said sadly as Itachi reminded her about her lost friend. Although she was trying to be happy and untroubled on the outside, her heart was still broken and she doubted if anyone could ever fill that hole in her again.

Deidara was unique for so many reasons and he was actually the first one – other than Naruto and Lee – who confessed his love for her. He had sacrificed himself to save her and there wouldn't be a day where she wouldn't be grateful to him. The life of a missing-nin was hard, but she would try her hardest. She owed that to him at least.

"Thank you," she whispered with tears in her eyes. Knowing that Itachi was looking at her, she quickly wiped away her tears.

"One more question," Sakura glanced at Itachi. "If Orochimaru changed bodies, wouldn't the demon be left behind in his original body?"

"The demon is bound to the soul, so he would take his eight-tailed demon with him through every body," Itachi answered slowly as he tried to think of an answer. "That's probably why he waited the extra year since I entered Akatsuki."

"Deidara," she fought her sorrow back at the mention of his name. "Deidara told me that Orochimaru left because of you… How old were you - if he was that frightened of you?"

Itachi glanced at her for a second and a large, tense pause followed. Patiently, Sakura waited to see if he would answer her question. She was asking about his private life; his life before Akatsuki. He hadn't let go much of his past and even less about his future dreams apart from the fact that he wished to be a Jinchuuriki, but she truly hoped that he could at least share this much with her.

"I was almost ten years old when I joined Akatsuki," Itachi answered almost hesitantly. "I murdered my clan three years afterwards and officially joined Akatsuki after the massacre. Orochimaru left two years before that."

"So you were a part of Akatsuki when you murdered your family?" Sakura queried curiously.

"Yes," Itachi stood up. "It's getting late, if you are leaving in the morning, I suggest you should sleep."

Accepting this as the end of their conversation, Sakura stood up, watching Itachi as he picked his robes up and walked towards the house. She followed him quickly into the house, walking behind him as he stalked towards her own room. Opening the door, he gestured for Sakura to go in first before entering the room himself.

As she rummaged through her stuff, packing her clothes, she could sense Itachi walking out of the room and whirled around quickly. "Are you going?"

"Yes," he answered in that deep voice of his.

"What are you going to do?" Sakura asked softly, watching his reaction. "What are you going to do from now on?"

"I'll continue the path I've been walking since the massacre of that ridiculous clan," he turned around to face her, that vacant look in his eyes as he observed her.

"What about Deidara?" Sakura whispered as she looked at Itachi.

"What about Deidara?" Itachi echoed softly.

"He died," Sakura reminded him as she fought her tears back. "He died and you just keep on going. He was a teammate, but you don't care about him, do you? Sasuke died, yet you don't care, even though he was your little brother…"

"You expect me to deny this?" Itachi seemed to smirk. "I have no use for emotions; they will just get in the way."

"That's it isn't it?" Sakura said through clenched teeth. Deidara had just died, his brother died several days before, and Itachi just didn't _care_. Because _emotions_ would make him weak. "You think that everything is black and white. Everything is divided into strong and weak. And that's it, end of story. No room for exceptions." She was starting to become dizzy with anger and frustration. They've been doing this dance since she encountered the Akatsuki. Back and forth always playing this one note - "Why won't you show emotions?" "Because emotions make you weak." - over and over again. She was sick and tired of moving in circles with him - of getting nowhere with him.

His lips curved into a smirk as he observed the change in her. While she had been grief-stricken and silent before, she seemed to have found her voice and anger again. And apparently her fighting spirit also came along in the package, as he observed her balled fists, each one tense and ready to strike him.

"Are you going to fight me?" Itachi humored her.

"Will you kill me if I attack you now?" Attempts at maintaining a cool demeanor were forgotten and only raw emotion remained in her voice.

"No," Itachi replied honestly as he watched the roseate kunoichi with interest.

"Good," Sakura yelled as she dashed towards him, eager to punch that satisfied smirk from his lips.

As she thrust her fist forward, Itachi disappeared in a flash. Predicting that this was going to happen, she whirled around before she attempted to kick Itachi, who had appeared behind her.

He raised his arm as a defense and managed to grab her ankle in the process. Sakura only gritted her teeth harder as she started to gather chakra in her leg, trying to wretch it free from Itachi's iron grip.

Itachi however, followed the stream of her chakra with interest before letting go, most likely sensing what her next move would be. He disappeared in a flash, leaving a confused Sakura behind.

On reflex, she turned around and saw him standing against the wall, his arms crossed as he watched her amusedly. Amazingly enough, this only fuelled her anger as she dashed towards him, hell bent on hitting him at least once.

She swung her leg up, trying to connect with his side but Itachi parried the attack with his leg guard. Trying to find a hole in his defense, Sakura's arm swung up to hit him but his hand clamped around her fist before it could connect with his face.

"Stop."

Sakura ignored him as she moved her other fist to give him an uppercut, but Itachi was too fast for her and tackled her, letting Sakura fall onto the hard, wooden floor unceremoniously.

Before she could even try to stand up, Itachi pushed her down as he laid half on top of her, successfully pinning her to the ground. The smirk was still playing on his lips as he stared at Sakura's eyes that were attempting to shoot daggers at him.

She writhed underneath him, trying to break free from his grasp, but soon found that it was impossible now that Itachi lay on top of her. She gave up, body resigned, but eyes still flashing dangerously at the man on top of her.

"I hate you," she whispered to the blood-red eyes that hovered above her. And she meant it. She hated his aloofness to everything around them - that current events didn't affect him _at all_. Even when his own brother died, he never showed any emotion. And now Deidara – his very own team member – and he was there, eating his breakfast with Kisame as if nothing had happened. As if _her _life wasn't falling apart.

"I hate you," she repeated when no answer came. "I hate you for taking Sasuke away from me. I hate you for not caring when Deidara died..."

She was crying by now, her hands pushing against his chest in a feeble attempt to push him off her. "I hate you for making me feel like this!"

"Hate is such a strong word," Itachi replied as he relinquished his hold on her before standing up.

Sakura pressed her hands against her mouth as she tried to stifle her anguished sobs. Itachi just watched her with mild interest before turning to leave the room.

It was so hard to see his back; so hard to know that this was their last night together. Sakura quickly stood up, leaning against the wall for support as she uttered those illicit words. "…Stay."

She had promised herself to stay away from him, to hate him as Sasuke had; but unfortunately, the world didn't work as Haruno Sakura wanted to. The urge to press her lips against his was still there and would always be there. She couldn't help it anymore.

Itachi turned around slightly, facing Sakura. "I will."

----------------------

**_A/N: _**_So, Deidara died. I'm so sorry to have killed him! He's one of my favorite Akatsuki members as well and it pains me to see him go, but it's necessary for the story. I'm sorry, don't kill me!_

_The Hoko, Isonade and all other demons I mentioned in Itachi's explanation are from true myths, so I didn't make that part up. You can check it at wikipedia!_

_Thank you Stem for everything, I don't know what I'd do without you!_

_See you next time in the final chapter of Evolution!_

_-- MitsukiShiroi_


	10. Chapter 10

**Evolution – An Itachi & Sakura story.**

**By: Mitsuki Shiroi**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

**_A/N: _**_The end of Evolution! Thank you all for reading this fiction, it means a lot to me!_

**_Warning:_**_ Chapter contains M-rated material. It's not very detailed but it can be offending if you don't like to read about two people making love. Just skip that part. If you want to read the lemon, it can be found at my livejournal._

_Dedicated to blackbloodedkunoichi!_

**Chapter Ten – Until We Meet Again**

A soft sob next to him quickly woke him up; midnight eyes stared at the ceiling before realizing that Sakura was crying. Turning around softly, he watched her shaking back as she continued weeping, oblivious to the fact that Itachi had just woken up.

Vaguely, he could hear her whisper Deidara's name.

He watched her for several moments before turning around softly, arm propped under his head. She stopped her crying momentarily; finally noticing that Itachi was awake as well. She shifted slightly before snaking her arm around his waist, pulling herself closer to Itachi.

Spooning herself against Itachi's warm body, she clenched his black shirt in her hand as she fought the tears that were coming. Even before she had even asked Itachi to stay, she knew that this would be a sleepless night. She tried to act tough around the other Akatsuki members, but the truth **was **that Deidara's death had cut her deeply and it felt like her heart was torn out.

The fact that she was leaving Itachi the next day didn't make it any easier.

But she had to do it. Sasuke was her teammate and she would never try to betray him. No matter how much she hoped and wished that he would be happy to find out that she had found love, even if it was with his older brother, she knew they were just pretty lies to cover up the truth.

The other reason for leaving the Akatsuki members was simple; she didn't want any of the Akatsuki members she knew to die. And if Tooya and Kira were hunting her, she would make sure that they'd never find her together with Akatsuki again. If she had to lose another one of her friends, it would kill her.

"…_That was the day I fell in love."_

His deep voice still resounded in her ears and it felt as if he could barge in any moment now, warning both Itachi and Sakura that hunter-nins that were coming. She wanted to believe that he would still be there forever, but wasn't that foolish? Hadn't she learned her lesson after seeing how battered he was after Orochimaru's assassination?

_But he was still alive then…_

Unconsciously, she pressed herself harder against Itachi, wanting any kind of comfort, whatever he could give her. It didn't matter; he would never be Naruto who pressed her against him before earning a smack in his face. Itachi would never be Kakashi who gave her an affectionate stroke through her hair as he smiled at her. He could never be Sasuke who offered only words as a comfort and that would be enough.

Itachi could never be like Deidara, who had the magic to smile and make everything better.

But Itachi comforted her in another way. Just being there, lying completely still as she cried against his back would have to be good enough. He couldn't give her anymore than what he was giving her now.

And then he turned around.

It happened before she could even pull her hands off him. He had turned around and stared at her with his exquisite eyes. Sakura's hand was still on his abdomen but he didn't seem to mind.

Rather than the usual cold look in his eyes, he seemed slightly confused as if he was a child who needed guidance. But like every momentary emotion in Itachi's eyes, it quickly disappeared and she found herself looking him in the eye as he gazed back.

Slowly, tenderly, his arm moved up and rested on her side, hand pressing against her back. It wasn't the first time that he had touched her back, he had done it often as they shared kisses, but this time, he tried to comfort her in his own, unique manner.

Understanding this, Sakura moved closer towards him, mimicking his gesture as she wrapped her arm around him, touching his back as she felt him tense for a moment, but he soon relaxed under her touch. Burying her head in the warm spot between his shoulder and neck, she soon felt herself drifting off to sleep as Itachi stroked her back almost lovingly.

-------------

It was still very early when she woke up. Shifting a little in her bed, she quickly realized that there was someone else there. It took her a few moments to understand that she was still sleeping in Itachi's arms.

Looking up, she noticed that his breathing was steady and deep, although that meant nothing. Itachi was good enough of a shinobi to just fake his sleeping. Taking in his closed eyes and his long lashes that caressed the tops of his cheek, she smiled softly. No matter how many times she saw him asleep, she would always be astounded to see how peaceful he looked.

Caught in the moment, Sakura moved her hand up to cup his cheek before pressing her lips against his, enjoying the feeling of his soft, velvety lips against hers. Itachi's eyes opened briefly as he pulled back slightly, watching how the roseate kunoichi smiled sadly at him.

"Good morning," she whispered as her hand moved over his hair before touching his long, soft hair.

"Good morning," Itachi said before leaning towards her, capturing her lips with his own.

The kiss was soft and chaste but as Itachi leaned back, Sakura found that she was unable to stop and wrapped her arms around him, instigating another kiss. Boldly, her tongue swept over his lips and as access was granted, Sakura moaned into his mouth when he kissed her back with passion and tenderness.

He shifted slightly before lying on top of her, the warmth of his body scorching through her clothing. His hand was touching her shoulders, caressing it with his knuckles as she moved her arms around his waist, letting her hands rest on top of his back, admiring the way his muscles flexed underneath her fingertips.

Itachi broke the kiss before moving down to the supple skin of her neck, kissing ever so tenderly while his hands roamed down her sides, making Sakura shiver in sheer delight.

Her hands yanked his silky shirt up as far as she could, nails raking over his defined muscles and down towards the faint trail of dark hair on his lower abdomen.

She was leaving in a few hours but she needed this. Silently apologizing to Sasuke, she tried to remove Itachi's shirt but he just glanced at her, a questioning look in his eyes.

"Are you sure?" he asked softly, knowing where this would lead to. The kunoichi was a virgin, he was certain of that. Watching her as she nodded silently, he complied and pulled his shirt off before leaning in for another kiss.

Tucking his fingers underneath her shirt, she raised her arms to help him remove it as she sat up straight, Itachi on his knees in front of her. The way he was looking at her was enchanting, there were no false pretenses there, no cold looks. He gave her what he could and right now, he was looking at her with so much desire that it made her feel as if her heart might pop out of her chest.

As her tongue slid out of her parted lips in an attempt to moisten her dry lips, she inadvertently drew Itachi's attention. She grabbed one of his hands, nuzzling it with her lips before smiling at him. He didn't return the smile though, but looked at her as if she was an instrument and he was learning how to play it. His hand stretched out towards her side, sliding down until it was resting on the crest of her hip.

Sakura moved closer towards him until one of his knees was between her parted legs and she could feel the heat of his body searing hers. As he stroked her arms she shivered before bending towards him, raining kisses on his jaw. In return, Itachi nipped her earlobe softly, his hands moving towards her shoulders.

Fingertips touching the soft material of her simple, pink bra, he looked at her one more time. Itachi could be called many things, but he would never force himself on a woman, much less a woman who was as exquisite as Sakura was.

"I'll ask you one more time," Itachi whispered in her ear. "Do you want this?"

Sakura remained quiet for a while before wrapping her arms around his waist, pressing herself against his chest. "Yes."

-----------------

"Damn light," she swore softly as she lifted her hand to block out the bright sunlight that streamed in through the small window. Thoroughly enjoying the heat that came from the warm body next to her, Sakura smiled before moving backwards, pressing herself against Itachi's chest.

His arm rested around her waist, stroking her stomach softly as his warm breath fanned around her ear. "You're awake," his deep voice remarked.

"Hmm," she answered before turning around. Itachi lied down on his back, eyes squinting ever so slightly as he tried to block out the sunlight with his hand. Sakura smiled as she rested her head on his shoulder, her hand stretching out as well. Touching his hand, she linked her hand with his before bringing it down, kissing his knuckles softly.

Although she tried to deny it, she knew she had deep feelings for Itachi, perhaps even loved him. But telling him so would result in nothing so she kept it to herself. However, she was having second thoughts about leaving him after what they had just done hours before. She knew she had to though; she would put Akatsuki in danger if she didn't leave. The last thing she wanted was another Akatsuki member dying…

As she tipped her head slightly to face Itachi, he was looking at her, his usual blank look in his eyes. His mouth was an unreadable line as she moved up, pressing her lips against his. When he didn't respond, she laid her head on his chest, wondering why he had fallen still all of the sudden.

"Are you having second thoughts?" she whispered onto his chest as her fingertips touched his clavicle.

"No," he simply response.

"Will you tell me what's bothering you then?" Sakura probed carefully, afraid to ruin this small moment of peace.

Itachi didn't answer and Sakura dropped the subject. If Itachi wanted to share what was going on in that brilliant mind of his, he would share it with her. But for now, it seemed that he was reluctant to give her any information. Perhaps he thought he had given her enough already.

"It's raining," Itachi remarked quietly and sure enough, as Sakura looked through the small window, she noticed that the sun had disappeared and was replaced with the rain.

_How fitting, _Sakura thought bitterly as she caressed Itachi's chest absentmindedly. _I'm leaving and it has to rain..._

"Itachi…" she said quietly as she mentally prepared for what she wanted to say to him.

"Do you wish me to bring you to the border?" Itachi interrupted, his deep voice leaving goose bumps on her skin.

"…No," she whispered.

Itachi gave a simple nod as he played with his ring, turning around as he lost himself in thought. He could feel her touching his necklace, observing the small flowers around his neck.

"How did you get it?" Sakura whispered as she hovered above him, sheets wrapped around her naked body as she admired the trinket.

"Someone gave it to me," Itachi said to her dispassionately. He observed with genuine interest how her eyebrow shot up as she looked him in the eye.

"A girl?" she asked, mentally berating herself for giving him the third degree.

"Yes," Itachi answered, his lips curved just a little shy from a smirk. He fought as hard as he could to keep his face blank when Sakura scowled obviously, a jealous look gleaming in her eyes. "Who gave it to you?"

"My mother," Itachi replied seriously. "Sasuke wanted the same one, he never got it."

"Right," Sakura muttered sarcastically. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, just don't joke about it."

"Why the sudden interest?" Itachi queried, curiosity taking over.

Sakura turned red as he stared at her inquisitively, an almost imperceptible smirk adorning his lips. "Well… You… You know…"

"You're jealous," Itachi remarked as his hand crept back to the small of her back. She was definitely upset by now, her green eyes were almost smoldering. Pushing herself up, she gave him an insulted look before glancing into the other direction.

"No I'm not."

Itachi laughed softly as she uttered the words, noticing how child-like she was when angered. Sakura turned back towards him with a shocked look in her eyes as she stared at him. Itachi, being the patient man he was, calmly waited until she would speak up.

"…You laughed just now," she pointed out.

"I've noticed," Itachi replied, amusement in his tone. Sakura just stared at him with the same, shocked look in her eyes as she observed the behavior of the usually cold Uchiha. "Who are you and what have you done with Itachi?"

"What do you mean?" Itachi asked as he stroked her back softly.

"You laughed," Sakura replied. "And you're not being… you."

"Tell me then, what is the picture that you have of me?" Itachi replied, interested in her reply as he watched her think it over.

Contemplating what to tell him, Sakura put a finger on her lips as she sunk into deep thoughts. Itachi was an enigma; him asking her to describe her impression of him was too hard to do without even thinking about it. "Cold," she said quietly.

"Cold," Itachi echoed. "Correct, anything else?"

"Mysterious… Distant… Polite," Sakura named as she lied down beside him once more.

"Polite?" Itachi almost laughed again. "Is that a picture you have of me?"

"It's better than the picture I had of you before we even met," Sakura replied resolute. "Before we met, I thought you were a ruthless, impolite and cruel pig who murdered his own family just for the hell of it."

"But I am ruthless," Itachi mused darkly. "And I am cruel. If I understand this correctly, the only thing that has changed is me being polite."

"But you're not as cruel as I had expected you to be," Sakura whispered softly. "Naruto told me about the first time he met you and told me that you were creeping him out since your chakra seemed so powerful to him. Did you know that he even confused you with Sasuke at first?"

"Sasuke?" he asked softly, a grin cast across his face.

"I don't blame him actually, you do look like each other," Sakura defended Naruto. "But then again, you're very different from Sasuke. For instance, your hair is longer, you're taller than Sasuke was… And you have lines on your face."

Itachi said nothing in reply as Sakura observed him for a moment. "What's your picture of me?" she asked as she looked back and forth at his eyes before closing them. She knew she had to leave very soon, but she needed to know this.

Itachi sighed softly, his chest heaving up lightly before falling down as he thought about her question. "You show too much emotion, which makes you weak," Itachi started, ignoring her disgruntled gaze. "You seem to feel right at home here although Akatsuki is a dangerous organization."

"Can you only name negative things?" Sakura looked at Itachi, half-smiling, half-irritated.

"What is it you want me to say?" Itachi replied simply. "I don't know which words you wish to hear."

"What I want you to tell me," Sakura whispered quietly. "Is why you've chosen me? I want you to tell me why you're protecting me, why you know so much about me… Why you want me to stay."

Suddenly, the atmosphere turned from light to very heavy. Neither of them said anything, they just stared at each other. Sakura awaiting an answer that she knew wasn't coming and Itachi was just looking at her as if she was the puzzle here and he couldn't wait to solve it.

Just when Sakura wanted to open her mouth and speak to him, a loud knock on the door made both of them look up.

"Itachi-san," Kisame growled, sounding muffled through the wooden door. "Leader wants you to report."

"I'll be right there," Itachi answered, the soft tone gone from his voice, replaced by the cold one she was used to. It was astounding to see how Itachi could change from a person who shared light conversations with her to the calculating shinobi that lay next to her in the bed. But the thing that got to her most was the fact that she was probably the only one who saw him like this.

Itachi slid out of the huge bed effortlessly and Sakura quickly turned around as he started to dress himself. Bending her knees slightly, she let her elbows rest on them as she listened to Itachi dressing himself. After a few minutes, Sakura turned around, knowing that he was done. He was adjusting his forehead protector and had his long, black and red Akatsuki cloak draped over his arm.

"I don't think you'll be back tonight, will you?" Sakura asked sadly, knowing that this was the last time she would ever see Itachi. He nodded slowly to confirm her suspicions and watched her as she scrambled out of the bed, the white sheets still wrapped around her body.

Wordlessly, she snaked her arms around Itachi's waist, pressing herself against his warm body for one last time. In return, Itachi cupped her chin gently as he moved her face up so that she could see his face.

His eyes were blood-red once again, Sharingan, as he looked at her leaning towards her. Itachi captured her lips with his and kissed her hard as her hands desperately hold onto his dark shirt, trying to hold on to him.

Letting go was so hard.

By the time he let go of her and backed away, she was crying. Tears streamed over her cheeks as he cast one more glance in her direction before turning around on his heels, leaving the room without even uttering a single word.

"Goodbye Itachi," she whispered before sitting down on the bed, pressing her palms in her face as she tried to stop the crying. She felt sick at the thought of leaving him, leaving Akatsuki and all of this behind, but she knew she had to. Sometimes, she truly cursed her loyalty.

"Sorry Sasuke," she whispered between sobs. "I think I love him…"

As soon as she said the words, she burst into tears, tears flowing freely from her eyes, washing away all the bittersweet feelings away until there were no more feelings left, just emptiness.

-------------

Silently, Sakura packed her backpack, folding her Akatsuki clothes into a neat stack before placing them on the bed. Grabbing the picture she had taken with her of Team 7, she wrapped it inside of an old Haruno shirt, afraid that the glass might break during the long journey.

She had made her mind up several hours after Itachi had left. The Country of Tea would be her best solution for now. The people there were friendly, there were no shinobi villages there and nobody would ever think of finding her there. But she had a huge journey ahead of her since she couldn't cross Konoha, it would bring back too many memories, not to mention of trail of hunter-nins. Thus she had to make a huge detour, through Sound, Waterfall, Grass, Rain and a country called River. From River, she had to take the boat to the Tea country and hope that there would be nobody there that recognized her.

She hated the fact that she needed to pass all those countries, especially Sound. Every single one of them, with the exception of River, held memories of both Itachi and Sasuke.

It was hard to believe that she left Konoha three months ago. Even harder to believe that she found Itachi four days after leaving Konoha, just by sheer coincidence.

She had lost Konoha and her friends, yet gained something she had always wanted. Someone who deeply care for her, although he would never admit it.

It was a dark love, something close to a forbidden love, but she didn't care anymore.

It wasn't the puppy-love Naruto could offer her, or the gushy looks that Lee used to give her. Not even the cold looks of Sasuke could weigh up against Itachi anymore. He had become too important for that now.

Kisame had left before she could even say goodbye. Perhaps Itachi never mentioned the fact that she would leave today, perhaps he didn't care. It didn't matter to her anyway. Goodbyes were always hard.

Swinging her backpack over her shoulder, she looked around once more, touching the soft blue pastel walls and the soft, white sheets of her bed. Smiling softly, she whispered.

"Goodbye Deidara…"

Taking in a deep breath, Sakura turned around and left the room, left the house, and left Akatsuki.

-------------

In the headquarters of Akatsuki nine shinobi gathered around a large cave, the members obscured by the shadows. The leader looked around, satisfied as he found every member there.

"Itachi, did you propose the deal to the medic?" he asked as he glanced at the shortest member. His blazing Sharingan momentarily looked at him before Itachi nodded almost unnoticeably.

"She refused?" Sasori's soft voice sounded from the shadows. "As expected from the medic. She has a strong sense of loyalty. So she left?"

"Yes," Itachi answered simply. "Are you going after the sanbi?"

"Yes, we are," Sasori chuckled softly. "Isn't that right?"

"Don't be so hasty," another dark shadow answered, before opening his eyes, revealing one blue eye. "The sanbi is mine… yeah."

-----------------

**End of Evolution**

----------------

**_A/N: _**_Another arc finally finished! It's about time too, wow. So, Salvation is left and after that, I'll start my new ItaSaku! _

_The lemon can be found in my livejournal, the link is on my profile._

_I hope you all enjoyed Evolution! For the ones who are starting to get bored with the Metamorphosis trilogy, I guess you can count this as the ending if you wish not to continue anymore. I appreciate you're taking the time to read this anyway and if you don't wish to continue, so be it._

_For the anonymous reviewers, some of you might know this already, other not. I'll be continuing Salvation in a new story, which basically means that either you'll have to stay tuned with my fanfictions or that you'll need to tell me in a review that you'd like to be notified about Salvation!_

_I'd also like to thank Stem for everything. You're a great beta and I'm sure that Evolution hadn't turned out this well without Stem's help and support!_

_See you in Salvation (which will be up in June)_

_-- MitsukiShiroi_


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